Fractured Hearts
by LilithArtist
Summary: Luna may have escaped the Organization so far, and she has new companions to keep her company while Sora sleeps. But she's not out of the woods yet. Her only chance to avoid being found is through newfound friendship with Roxas and his friends in Twilight Town. But how long can she hide from Xemnas when he knows she's out there somewhere?
1. Prologue: Relocation

**Hello, everyone! Lilith here.**

 **Well, here it is, the starter for the next storyline: Fractured Hearts! I said that I would get a start on it within November at minimum, and I've delivered it before the holidays can rear its head.**

 **Now, as a reminder for those of you who are wondering how this one will go, the storyline will have Luna and each of her replacement companions keeping themselves busy with world exploration and any hijinks I decide to throw in whenever I feel like it. However, I can assure my readers that I will regardless make sure that something within 358/2 Days is preserved, if to maintain the integrity of the important plot elements.**

 **And given what I've said regarding how the story will go this time around, newcomers should know that later chapters will be presenting worlds chosen by reviewers who have taken liberties to provide suggestions for Disney worlds to explore. Also, keep vigil for potential Final Fantasy guest characters, for I might drop in some when you least expect it.**

 **Anyway, with these announcements out of the way, I'm gonna work on creating the cover, and ready the next chapter when I have the chance. With the latter, I might have a little surprise for you guys, one that I hope will be unexpected for my lovely readers. :p**

 **So without further ado, enjoy your first step in the next story!**

 **I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.**

 **Read, leave me a review, but flames are unacceptable.**

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Prologue: Relocation

Luna never thought she would have to return to the pod room where her friends are kept for safekeeping. She was sure that Sora, Donald and Goofy would be safe while in the care of her new friend, Naminé. But when she heard from Naminé that she and her companions are required to meet with DiZ regarding urgent matters, they had to return to Castle Oblivion and find out what the situation is.

After leaving Castle Oblivion, Luna and Medea, now accompanied by her childhood friend Riku, her birth mother Noir, and newest companion Nero, they've been traveling around for some time along with Mickey. However, a problem reared its ugly head: the darkness that Riku had fought against is still there within him. Even though he had beaten Ansem, there is still the threat looming somewhere inside him. Eventually, he parted ways with Mickey in order to attempt to handle the problem on his own. But when he tried to explain to Luna and the others of his intentions to separate from them, Luna adamantly refused to be parted with Riku after having tried to find him since closing the door, insisting that he's the only connection to the islands she still has with Sora out of commission. Her loyal Shadow Guardian, Medea, joined in the argument with a warning that if he ever tried to leave her master behind, then she's going to do whatever it takes to find him and drag him back. Noir shared the same sentiment, and like any mother would do, she insisted that she didn't want to be fretting over his wellbeing when he's somewhere far away. Nero's argument is that if Riku left, there's a good chance that their enemy, the Organization, would likely be able to track down the rest of the party and get their chance to exact revenge for the sabotage at Castle Oblivion – or at the very least, have higher success at kidnapping and terminating anyone who has been targeted. Needless to say, the arguments presented were enough to convince Riku to let them stick around until circumstances say otherwise.

Now, they are back in the pod room where Naminé and DiZ are looking on at the pod where Sora sleeps. Riku now wears a blindfold over his eyes, which he had supposedly chosen to use to maintain some level of control. Everyone else remained the same – for the most part.

Not long after they arrived, Naminé immediately greeted Luna with a warm embrace like she missed a friend she hasn't spoken to in a long while.

"I'm glad you're here," she said quietly.

"We heard there's a problem," Luna replied, "How could we ignore it?"

"That's true…" Naminé agreed.

Another new friend, Naminé is a blond-haired girl wearing a simple white sleeveless dress and light blue sandals. Although the new enemy had initially used her in an attempt to deceive Luna and Sora using her power to meddle with memories during their time in Castle Oblivion, the two were luckily saved by her intervention and subsequently able to take down the mastermind behind the attempt to enforce his control on them, Marluxia. Since then, Naminé has been making amends to them by working on restoring Sora's memories one at a time.

The other acquaintance, DiZ, is a peculiar man to speak of. He is an enigma, garbed in red and black robing from head to toe, every part of him decorated in unusual trimming, and his face wrapped almost completely in a red bandage save for one eye and his mouth. When he came into the picture, nobody knew what to make of the man. Who is really is and what his agenda is, no one knows for sure. All they know is that he knows something about the Organization, and he gave the impression that he has some awareness about some of the people that have encountered him thus far.

But now, it seems like there's been new developments that need to be addressed immediately in the wake of identifying the identity of their enemy – the Organization. Given what they knew thus far, it wouldn't be farfetched if someone brought up the potential danger approaching them by the day.

Immediately, Medea got straight to the point. "So why the hell are we here, old man?"

"You should know why," DiZ answered, "With some of the Organization's members eliminated, those that remain are making changes in their objectives. However, that doesn't mean any of us are safe from them."

"Namine, is DiZ implying that Sora and company are still at risk?" Nero asked.

She nodded, confirming the suspicions. "Yes…I'm afraid so, Nero."

"I don't understand," Noir spoke up with uncertainty, "Weren't those members that operated the castle defeated by Sora, Luna and Riku, respectively?"

"Actually…" Luna started to reply. But then, she stopped herself because she didn't want to voice her ideas about Axel while DiZ is in the room. "…Never mind. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"I think I know where this is going. You're thinking that the Organization might have another plot," Riku speculated, "and you want us to help not only monitor their movements, but also to ensure that Sora is kept out of their reach. Is that what you're trying to say, DiZ?"

He didn't give an answer to the suspicions Riku gave out. He didn't have to reply. The silence that permeated out of him spoke volumes on what the answer is; he does want them involved in his aim against the Organzation. But, for what reason does he want them to get involved with him at all?

Medea frowned in displeasure. "Oh, I get it now. You, _mister_ , are too afraid to do whatever little dirty work you would've loved to do yourself, so you're asking us to join forces with you because we've got giant targets on our backs because of those Organization bozos that are out there somewhere. And I'll wager that you also want us to do the dirty work until the kid wakes up from however the hell long his nap's gonna be. Am I on the right track on what's making your head tick?"

"If Sora is to regain his memories sooner, then yes," DiZ replied with a twinge of displeasure at her remarks. "Working together would be considered the lesser of two evils, wouldn't it? At the very least, it would ensure that one of you does not find yourself immediately detected by anyone in the Organization, let alone abducted and held prisoner at the bequest of the leader of the group."

None of them want to admit it all that much, but he had a point when he said that collaborating with him would make it a little more difficult for anyone in the Organization to track them down while they're still active. After all, it would help them keep tabs on Naminé's restoration progress, and it would also ensure Sora and his memories can be recovered without fear of him being too vulnerable – which could extend to Donald and Goofy, who are also in the same slumber respectively. The other matter is that, given what Riku and Noir know from Nero, Luna is still being targeted by the Organization for unknown reasons; though the details regarding the subject are vague at best, there is still the risk. And besides, if what Luna herself understood from Zexion is anything to go by, then it's very likely their leader might have a few plans arranged to attempt hunting her down.

"…Alright. We'll play along," Riku agreed to the deal, but with some caution. "At least until Sora's memories have been fully recovered."

"I suppose there's no other choice, is there?" Noir reluctantly agreed. She then turned to DiZ with a warning stare. "But know this: if you do anything – or you so much as attempt to do anything – to endanger anyone under our watch, I promise you that you will have to answer to one of us."

DiZ raised a brow at her. "Someone's returned to being the mother again, I see."

However, there is one thing that immediately started to bother Luna. If they want to keep Sora and the others hidden from sight as long as possible, then where should they go? Since returning to the islands is not an option for everyone, and it might be difficult to consider going to Hollow Bastion to go into hiding without placing the people she and Sora met before in peril of the Organization. Staying in Castle Oblivion wouldn't be the best idea either, more so since she and Medea know what manner of problems the castle would cause them to an extent if they stayed there yet again – that, and there is something here that they can't divulge to anyone without risking spilling the beans to the wrong ears.

"But where could we go?" she wondered, "We don't have a lot of hiding places we can choose from…"

"Yeah, my sentiment exactly," Medea agreed with her, "Where the hell can we go to hide away from the guys trying to find us, or at the least blend in until the coast is clear?"

Namine looked over to Nero as he stood in contemplation. "Nero…any ideas?"

For a moment, he didn't respond as he tapped his cheek in deep thinking. But then, a thought crossed Nero's mind as he raised a finger up like he found a solution and wants to share it to his peers.

"I might know a world we can stay at until further notice," he answered.

Riku turned to him, interested. "Does it concern a location we've seen in the card-worlds, particularly one we didn't know about that well?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, it does," Nero replied confidently, "Maybe most of you don't know the place, but I want to believe it will serve as a solid place of refuge until we know whether Sora will wake up. Besides, most of the residents probably wouldn't think twice about finding new faces walking around the streets on a regular basis."

"I think I know where you're going with this…" Noir had reason to suspect the topic.

"Nero, are you talking about that town we saw?" Luna asked innocently, "That town with a perpetual sunset and filled with streets, and with an empty mansion and a clock tower that towers above everything else?" She paused to realize she didn't know the name of the place despite knowing the little details. "Um…what was that town called? I don't think I learned what it was called…"

"Me neither," Medea added.

Nero shook his head with a chuckle. He should've known that the girls never got to know what the name of the town, mostly due to the stressing situation with their enemy and the memory problem. He only gave Riku and Noir the basics of what the location is, and even then, he was rather vague about it. Perhaps now is the time to provide a clear suggestion on a world to hide within while there is the chance.

"I was going to suggest that we hide in that world we've only glimpsed a small portion of," Nero replied, "If we need a place to stay, only one world can do that for us: Twilight Town."


	2. Ch 1: Day 74 - Twilight Town

**Holidays can make someone slow sometimes...**

 **Hello, everyone! Lilith here.**

 **And for this chapter, we're setting up shop until we're ready to begin world exploration. For anyone who's wondering whether I'll be getting to the stuff you want, I'll get around to it soon.**

 **And since I said I have a little surprise to throw in, I just know that someone's gonna start asking questions. :p**

 **So without further ado, I hope you like!**

 **To Mattman: Slow down there, buddy. I want to get the foundations ready before I continuing the assembly. And yes, I have seen the trailers that cropped up. Needless to say, the first couple made me go "Okay, there's more to see." But the last one made me think "WTF, Nomura?!" Now, regarding summons...honestly, I found it troubling to insert because I wouldn't know how to incorporate it. And truthfully, I haven't thought of giving Luna drive forms. If it can give expansions to Luna's capabilities, I could do that.**

 **To Gry22: Much appreciated on cover suggestion. I'm working on it right now.**

 **To Light Seeker 001: Oh, it's gonna increase over time. And grow in others, too. Trust me.**

 **I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts or the FF series except my OCs.**

 **Read, leave me a review, but flames are not acceptable.**

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Chapter 1: Day 74 - Twilight Town

If there's one thing Luna can say about seeing Twilight Town for real, it's that she is completely awestruck at seeing the town from a proper point of view. Starting from the clock tower connected to a train station, the town stretches for miles while surrounded by lush trees clustered together outside of the town walls, captured beautifully in the middle of a perpetual sunset that reflects a peaceful outlook of the union of light and shadow in one location. The sound of a train trailing can be faintly heard from a distance, and further down below the streets, a faint sound of a bell ringing can be heard echoing from an unknown source. Even though they are still on ground level and can't get a full glimpse of the entire town, what can be seen from afar from the elevated position the station plaza presents an inviting atmosphere that embraces what lives under the warm light and the mysterious shades of the deeper streets.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Nero asked.

Luna snapped out of her awed trance. "Yes…it is. It's much lovelier seeing it for real."

"Not gonna lie," Medea agreed, "The place actually looks kinda cool. And it sure as hell is a lot better than what that old goat gave us before."

After settling matters in Castle Oblivion, Nero agreed to take Luna and Medea with him to scout out Twilight Town and find the mansion they've seen in the illusory version of the different world. Riku and Noir stayed behind to help Naminé and DiZ with the moving arrangements for the pods. Since Nero implied to have a little more familiarity with the town, it made sense for him to temporarily take the lead as he guided the girls through the uncharted territory so that they can get better acquainted with the residents of the place and possibly prepare for whatever might be lurking in the shadows of the streets.

Following Nero's lead, they made their way down from the station and passed by several buildings connected to what is learned to be a section of a series of market streets interconnected with more streets and alleyways that directed to even more places they'll explore later on after settling down.

"This place is huge," Luna said as she looked around in fascination. "I wonder how we'll be able to navigate this place."

"It shouldn't be too hard once you've been around here long enough," Nero replied, "Besides; you'd be surprised what you can find around a town like this."

"Yeah, and what are we gonna find?" Medea had to ask. "Annoying egotistical bullies? Wacky local lore with logical explanations behind them? People who we know we haven't seen for one reason or another?"

"…You'll know soon enough," he answered vaguely.

"I would love to meet new people who live here," Luna admitted, "But I wouldn't want anyone to be rude about us being newcomers…"

"I'm pretty sure there are going to be people like that," Nero replied with a dismayed sigh.

"Oh, that's reassuring," Medea deadpanned.

As they continued passing through the streets, the trio just made their way into the sandlot where it connect to other parts of the town. But just as they are about to make their way through, one thing completely hit the brakes in their exploration…

"Hey, you! Where'd you three come from?"

The trio stopped in their tracks at the rude voice that caught them, and turned around to find who spoke to them. Coming from one side of the sandlot is a young teen boy followed by a burly teenager, a girl and a little boy.

The boy in front – perceived to be the leader of the quartet – is a blond-haired man with blue-green eyes that don't seem too friendly; he wore a cropped blue vest with white trimmings and muted auburn pants over a white sleeveless jacket, completed by black boots held by white laces and a black cap with foreign writing imprinted upon it.

The larger boy behind him is a dark-haired young man with tanned skin and brown eyes that blend together quite well; he wore an orange sleeveless tank top patterned with thunderbolts and baggy dark sweatpants with wide shoes, and around his neck is a metal pendant bearing the sigil of the thunderbolt.

The girl near him has short silvery-blue hair with some of her bangs covering one eye, only showing one red eye; she dressed in a blue sleeveless jacket with warm grey Capri pants and crocs shoes colored similarly to her hair.

The little boy trying to keep up is a bit hard to discern because his face is blackened like it's shadowed, but his yellow eyes are visible; he wore a bizarrely patched pointed hat on his head, and he dressed in a large light-blue jacket held together by a string with big white cuffs over brown gloves and short green pants held by a leather belt, and his shoes are striped with two shades of brown.

Luna and Medea couldn't help looking at each other in confusion since they don't understand what's going on with the new faces they've now encountered. Nero, on the other hand, let out a little exasperated groan like he had a sneaking suspicion something like this would happen at some point. It's like they've arrived in a new land, and someone is already perceiving an issue with them in their presence alone.

The girl pointed judgingly right at them as she said bluntly, "Strangers."

Medea frowned as she folded her arms. "Yeah, so? What's it to you?"

"You're lookin' like suspicious characters, ya know!" the big guy answered brazenly. "And that rings bad bells for the Disciplinary Committee, ya know!"

Nero rolled his eyes in annoyance. "C'mon, do we look like anyone suspicious? Or is it because of what we're wearing that you think us as terrors in your heads? I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case."

"You look suspicious to me, and that's proof none of you are from around here," the leader replied rudely, "So why don't you spill your business, and maybe I'll look the other way."

As much as Luna didn't want to have a conversation with someone who is being rude and disrespectful, she didn't want to have a fight start just after arriving in town. So, being who she is, she opted to try and calm things down before it goes too far as best she can.

"I'm sorry, mister, but we've just arrived in town and we don't know it too well," Luna explained gently, "If you can be a little lenient on us, at least let us get a feel of the town and we can talk about your problems later."

The blond teen scoffed at her. "You tryin' to sweet-talk your way out, lady? Nice try. I thought I said for you three to spit out your business."

"Hey, don't you talk down to my master like that!" Medea snapped angrily, "She tried asking you to let us walk away nicely, and that's how you respond? And what the hell is with your 'Disciplinary Committee' crap? All I'm seeing is a gang of bullies looking for someone to pick on because they're bored out of their minds!"

The little boy looked back and forth between the gang and the newcomers, fearing which one will push the envelope in the confrontation. The girl gave a death glare at Medea like she hates how she's answering them.

But the leader didn't take the rebuke too kindly. "You askin' for a fight, Red?"

"You sound like you want to pick a fight," Medea growled. "Wanna take your chances with me?"

By this point, he had enough. "Alright, you're asking –"

"Giving trouble to new faces again, Seifer? I thought you knew better than that."

Just when the confrontation is about to escalate into a fight, everything abruptly ground to a halt when an adult voice grabbed the attention of both sides at once. Luna's group and the teens turned their heads to spot four more new people – two men and two women particularly - entering the sandlot to settle the growing conflict.

At the lead is a tall man with dark grey hair cut from the sides and blue eyes with peachy skin; he wore a black uniform with a dark grey top barely visible under the coat and black fingerless gloves, his boots held together by buckles, and a purple scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. It can be barely seen the small patches on his coat displayed a sigil conveying his chosen profession.

The woman trailing near him seemed younger than him with short, wavy bright red hair and green eyes with sandy tan skin; she wore a long-sleeved full-body black jumpsuit held by a purple corset, calf-length warm grey platform heeled boots, and gun holsters on dark brown leather belts secured around her waist.

The second man is shorter than the first with brown hair held in a ponytail and blue eyes with light peach skin bearing a bit of a beard; he wore a black uniform from head to toe, albeit more loosely, showing a light grey tank top and a handcrafted beaded necklace hanging casually around his neck.

The other woman seemed the same age as the redhead, but with back-length blond hair in a braid and blue eyes with mildly tanned skin; she dressed in a high-collar short-sleeved black jumpsuit and a short red-and-white vest under a dark grey jacket, completed with long high-heeled grey boots and a belt with small pouches around her waist.

The burly teen, not being the brightest bulb, demanded rudely to them, "Hey, this is none of your business, ya know!"

The girl irritably elbowed him for his idiocy and snapped, "Idiot! Security!"

Luna and her friends observed carefully when, the instant the mere mention of the last word is brought up openly, the teenage posse abruptly tensed up like they'd been caught red-handed doing something they shouldn't be proud of. Perhaps these youngsters are not as intimidating as they like to think they are, especially not when there are adults with more awareness of the goings-on in the town than anyone. That leaves the question as to what they will do now that these new people have stepped in to intervene against bullying.

"I think the harassment is our business," the leader of the other group answered, "You're judging people before you know who they are. And the little lady asked politely to be left alone for a while. Is that hard for you to follow?"

"Must be hard to do because of his poor upbringing," the red-haired woman deadpanned.

"So what's it gonna be, kid?" the other man asked warningly, "You gonna walk away, or do you wanna take your problems to the station?"

The blond boy – now confirmed to be called Seifer – growled in frustration, knowing he is cornered and has no other choice to back off.

"C'mon, guys. We're leaving…for now," he ordered.

Reluctantly, his posse followed behind him, knowing they have to bail out before they get interrogated by the security team. But before walking off, Seifer stopped briefly to give a warning glare at Luna and her friends, which signaled he's not done yet and he'll see them again eventually. Once they've gone, the other posse relaxed as they personally approached her group to speak with them.

"Well, that was a rough first impression," the man with the purple scarf said with an annoyed sigh, "Don't pay any mind to Seifer. He's just a bully with poor social skills."

"And abysmal manners, if you ask me," Medea deadpanned dryly.

"I hope we weren't giving any of you trouble either," Luna said politely, "We just arrived in town, and we were trying to learn our way around. But we're new here, and we don't know the entire layout."

The man with the ponytail laughed out loud. "Who said the rest of you are making trouble? You said so yourself, you're not used to the place."

"But maybe it'd be a good idea to get acquainted if it helps things," the blond woman suggested.

"I'm with you on that, Calypso," the redhead woman agreed.

"Right, then…" Right on cue, the leader extended a hand out to Luna since she's closest, to her surprise. "Nyx Ulric. I'm part of the Twilight Town security team. And these charming partners of mine are my friend, Libertus," Libertus gave a smirk with a thumb-up. "My wife, Circe," Circe grinned with her two fingers raised playfully. "And my friend's girlfriend, Calypso." Calypso gave a sweet smile and a wave. "We're the ones who **_actually_** try to protect the town from trouble."

"Oh…okay," Luna replied as she reciprocated the greeting. "My name's Luna. Medea and Nero are my companions."

"Actually, I'm still adjusting to having friends," Nero clarified with brutal honesty.

"So what brings you three to town?" Circe asked them, "You looking for a new home to rent or something?"

An awkward silence momentarily permeated between the three, quietly looking between each other. How are they going to explain their situation without giving away too much? Though, given how the people they've encountered so far don't know the real reason for being here, it would be safe to say they have a way to work with it so they can still make efforts to enter town incognito without drawing too much attention to them for a while. That's when Nero offered up an answer to the question, if only to pacify the curious residents.

"Yes, we are. We're refugees – sort of," Nero explained. "But we'd rather keep some distance from prying eyes, just to be cautious."

"That's gonna be a challenge," Libertus commented, "especially with word on the streets about people in black clothes going around town and layin' beat-downs to those creatures messing around the place."

That raised Luna and Medea's eyebrows a bit. They can understand that the 'creatures' they're talking about are actually the Heartless, and they know from firsthand experience how annoying those things can get. But to hear there are people in black clothes going around town, hunting them down? Something about it doesn't make a lick of sense. What people would be doing that sort of thing, let alone as a group? To Luna's knowledge, Sora is the only person she's seen using a keyblade to eliminate the Heartless, and that's because she's traveled with him since Traverse Town. It made her wonder if there's someone else who has a keyblade that she didn't know about…

"Black clothes, huh…" Medea said with suspicion, "That sounds like something we've encountered before."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Yes, it does. But who would go around searching for Heartless in a place like this? Keyblades don't grow on trees, I'm sure."

Nero turned to her. "Now that sounds like something we should look into since we're here." He then turned the security team. "When was the last time any of you saw someone dressed in black walking around?"

"Last we saw them, they were heading for the Tram Common -" Calypso started to explain.

But without warning, from a distance, the faint sound of violently rustling leaves suddenly broke the serenity of the atmosphere, alerting everyone to something going on somewhere deeper in the town. Has something happened within town or outside of it somewhere? Maybe there is somebody in town fooling around with the Heartless, and they're not handling the situation properly. The rustling echoed faintly again before it disappeared as quickly as it came. Not long after that, an animalistic hiss barely reverberated in the winds, almost akin to that of a lizard – one that is not the normal size from the volume of the entity.

Medea turned to her master, itching for some action. "You thinkin' what I'm thinking?"

"There might be trouble brewing?" Luna guessed, "I'm already beginning to worry about it."

"C'mon, we'd better find out what's going on before we go anywhere else in town," Nero urged them on.

Once Nero started to run toward the next street, Luna and Medea started chasing after him, mostly because they don't want him to get into trouble after all that's happened back at Castle Oblivion. As this was going on, neither of them realized that the security team were about to warn caution to them and attempt to keep up with them, but the trio somehow managed to get one step ahead of them heading towards where the noises are coming from.

* * *

The trail led them through the market streets greeted by a large crack in the wall that opened up to a wooded area growing in abundance without interference from civilization. It honestly felt a little haunting to Luna since the large trees surrounding them gave off the vibe that something could jump out at them at any given moment, though that doesn't seem to be the case. However, when they just reached the middle of the woods, they immediately caught wind of the sounds of fighting going on ahead of them. And where was the entire fighting taking place? Believe it or not, Luna and her friends got a surprise when they spotted two people in black coats armed and combatting a giant chameleon Heartless at the gates leading to – surprise, surprise – a mansion nestled in isolation from the rest of the town.

Among the two people present confronting the monster directly, one of them quickly sparked a feeling of recognition in Luna and Medea's minds when they saw the red spiked hair and the chakrams clutched in his hands. Could it be…?

"Hey, wait a second!" Medea exclaimed, "Is that Axel out there?"

The other person there, however, is a different story entirely. Although it was a little hard to make out, Luna could've sworn the other person is a boy almost her age; but what really stuck out to her is the ruffled blond hair that looked suspiciously similar to someone she knew from her childhood. However, it didn't take her long to realize that he brandished a keyblade shockingly much like the one she'd seen Sora use when they've fought against the Heartless sometime prior.

Then, the atmosphere abruptly changed for a brief moment when another figure rushed right in the middle of the battlefield without a weapon for defense. However, the girls couldn't make out who it is exactly due to both the distance between them and the initial difficulty getting a full view of the empty space because of the thick trunks blocking off some of the line of sight. They did, however, witness the slippery Heartless using its tongue to lash at the third person, knocking said person down to the ground right in front of the people who were fighting the creature to begin with!

"Xion!" the blond boy exclaimed in horror, almost about to turn to help.

"Focus, Roxas!" Axel can be heard, calling for concentration on more important matters. "We have to take that thing out first!"

So they were hunting down that thing together, and ran into trouble in the process? It seemed to be the case as the freaky lizard struggled to scurry around the field in a vain attempt to find enough space to launch a counterattack against its hunters. Though they hardly know what the situation is, it didn't feel right not to get involved in the fight.

At least, Luna thinks so. "Medea, we should do something. That lizard might give them trouble."

"After what Heartless we've seen?" Medea agreed, forming her claws, "I'm just gonna say we rip that thing a new one first, and then we grill that redhead for answers afterwards."

"You girls just can't help joining the fray, can you?" Nero sighed as he prepared his broadsword.

Without hesitation, Medea jumped right into the fray first, bolting past the two people as she made the charge toward the lizard. Though she is blocked by the large paws of the creature, it at the very least distracted the beast long enough to provide a window of a breather. When she did show up, the very familiar Axel took notice of her and gave a little grin at her like he'd know her face anywhere.

"Well, hello, Medea," he greeted her casually, "How've you been since the whole Marluxia debacle?"

"Oh, a hell of a lot better without that smug jackass harassing my master," Medea answered sarcastically, "But you owe me a damn explanation on what you did before you ran off on us!"

"What did I do exactly?" Axel asked, playing dumb.

The Guardian would've loved to keep pressing for answers from Axel, but the nasty chameleon thought it to have a window of opportunity to lash out at the bickering pair without them knowing what's about to happen. Unbeknownst to the beast, however, Luna had just caught up with her partner when she noticed the Heartless' next move. On silent command, a Shadow Hand emerged by her side and stretched past her position, reaching past the blond boy and seizing its long tongue before it could get any farther. In the process of this, the sight of the enormous conjuration startled the boy as he stumbled a bit from not expecting something to move past him and preventing the giant lizard from launching a cheap shot at the parties involved. But she didn't pay too much mind to the confusion she might leave in her wake for the moment, especially since she and Medea joined in of their own volition.

"What a rude Heartless…" Luna said as she made her way through. "Sticking tongues out at people is not nice."

The blond boy, after recovering himself, immediately turned his attention to see what new faces suddenly decided to join in on fighting the lizard Heartless. When he noticed Luna nearby him, it can be seen that his eyes went wide from shock at seeing her. What could he be thinking right now? Is it confusion, or is he experiencing some other feeling?

"Wait… You're that girl surrounded by shadows…are you?" he asked.

Luna tilted her head in confusion. "Hmm…?"

While the Heartless was preoccupied with trying to free itself from the grip of the Shadow Hand, Nero finally made his move and took a swing at the beast with his broadsword, landing a solid hit at its head where it's likely weakest. That managed to briefly stun the creature, leaving it wide open for an attack at any time. But a little more motivation might be needed since there are certain people that appear to be distracted at the moment.

"Destroy Heartless first, chat later!" Nero ordered, "That thing's not gonna wait."

"Oh, yeah, that damn lizard," Medea said dryly. "I almost forgot about it."

"Don't worry… It won't be going anywhere while we're here," Luna reassured them.

And it's a good thing everyone's focus returned to the presence of the giant lizard Heartless because it's about to pull its tongue free from the Shadow Hand's grip and resume its instinctive attacks against the interlopers. So when it just about retrieved its tongue, the unlikely allies opted to collaborate together to get rid of the creature so they can clear up any questions and conceptions of their meeting without any further interruptions.

From the get-go, the girls immediately performed their usual shtick with Medea charging straight at the creature with her claws out front while Luna summoned more Shadow Hands to keep the monster distracted and prevent it from attempting to make an escape from the open space available to them. Axel and his younger comrade joined in not long afterwards with their weapons at the ready, each of them beating down the beast by the head and the back before it attempted to shake off its assailants like a competitor on the losing end of an epic fighting match, except the fight is taking place in a quiet landscape with nobody around to witness what's going on and several people are ganging up on one Heartless. Nero helped to ensure the creature doesn't get too much opportunities to hide (not that its camouflaging abilities did it any favors since everyone can see its shadow) as he hunted it down with his blade.

Ultimately, when all is said and done, the young boy wielding his keyblade dealt the final blow to that pesky Heartless due to possessing the legit means to permanently wipe out the target without having to deal with a reoccurrence for a little while. However, with the creature gone, this allowed the boy to do what he initially meant to do in the middle of the chaos and hurry to the aid of the third person who got caught in the crossfire.

"Xion! Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

The person got up, groaning a bit. "Roxas…?"

"Easy," he cautioned as he held a helping hand, "Are you hurt?"

While this was going on, Luna couldn't help noticing something very peculiar about this newcomer she hasn't seen before. At first glance, when she got a full view of this stranger, she thought she saw someone familiar to her – was it Kairi? No, something's not right about it. She remembered Kairi had been parted from her and Sora after having closed the door sometime prior. By all accounts, she should be back on the islands where she'd be out of harm's way – at least, for however long it will last. Plus, Kairi had short red hair, not black.

The voice did sound feminine, though, and the person looked like a girl. So…who is this person she's seeing?

"I'm fine…" the mysterious girl replied as she got up, "Thank you. It's just…"

"You can tell us all about it, but why don't we head back first?" Axel suggested to them. He then turned his attention to Luna and her friends. "You three wanna come along with us? We'll be heading for the clock tower, have ice cream."

"Love to, but we gotta set up shop first," Medea declined casually, "We just got here, you know."

"Fair enough," he acknowledged lightheartedly, "You're probably already seen as newcomers by now."

"We're sorry…" Luna apologized, "Maybe we can get better acquainted another day."

That's when Roxas approached Axel and asked him, "You've met them?"

Axel chuckled a bit, like he had a feeling questions would be coming toward him. "Ah, right: intros." He extended an introductory hand out to the trio. "Roxas, Xion – meet Luna and Medea, Shadow Mage and Guardian. And that loner close by is Nero." Then, he gestured over to his companions. "Luna, Medea and Nero – meet Roxas and Xion."

Charmed by the idea of meeting people who are close to someone they didn't know are closely acquainted with Axel throughout their misadventures in Castle Oblivion, Luna immediately extended her hand out to the new faces in warm greeting.

"Hello. Are you friends with Axel?" Luna asked out of curiosity.

Roxas gave an innocent smile as he reciprocated her greeting. "Yeah, I am. Any friend of Axel is a friend of mine."

"I dunno about you, but he was more of a pain in our ass last we saw him," Medea disagreed sarcastically, "I'm just glad we're past all that hell with the damn pink jackass."

Xion looked over at Axel in disbelief. "You never mentioned one of them having no language filter."

"You'll get used to it," Axel replied with a chuckle, "Just don't copy what she says."

However, while Luna and Medea gladly open up to meeting the two youngsters face-to-face, a drastically different reception is noticed in the case of Nero. While he didn't seem to have anything against Roxas, it's noticed he showed a hard gaze directed towards Xion. Not helping matters is how hands quiver with seething anger and his eyes are filled with such hatred and disdain for her mere presence, almost as though he wants to react badly to something he despises but can't due to a number of potential witnesses within his vicinity.

He can even be heard growling under his breath, " ** _This_** is why he pushed me in Marluxia's hands? You gotta be kidding me…"

Before anyone can start asking questions on what his problem is, Nero abruptly turned and stormed off toward the mansion without a word. His behavior while in the face of new company baffled the girls as they turned to Axel, hoping he would have an answer as to why he appeared to be acting bitter despite having broken free of Marluxia's grip.

"Guess he's still got a few more skeletons to clean out of his closet," Axel suggested with a shrug.

"No excuse to throw out basic etiquette, though," Medea grumbled. "Who the hell was he getting grumpy at?"

"Maybe something is bothering him right now," Luna said as she started to trail after him, "I'll ask him about it."

Fortunately, she didn't have to look too far for Nero. After having passed the gates, she found him hiding behind the old wall, arms folded in anger. She didn't want to put any pressure on her new companion after having just arrived in a new place, but since she made the demand for him to come clean about himself as soon as they've cleaned up their business in Castle Oblivion, it meant that they had to know what other issues he had when he had been involved with the Organization.

"Nero, why were you being rude a moment ago?" she asked sternly, "Is it because of the girl? She hasn't done anything wrong to you."

He looked up at her, the bitter frown still lingering. "You haven't figured it out, Luna?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Another one of Vexen's little projects – a replica, like that copy of Riku," Nero replied, "But in…her…case, there's someone who can use a keyblade. Even though I was crafted to impersonate your brother, I haven't been able to form one of my own. Why else did their resident mad doctor try his little hand at getting data based on someone else entirely?"

"Really…? I didn't see her use it," Luna wondered. "Roxas did, though. I wonder how he got his…" She paused a moment, and then spoke up again to address the current situation. "Nero, I know we haven't touched upon your experience with the Organization yet, but I think we should consider learning what we can while we're here. Axel doesn't seem too bothered about us being here, and his friends look like nice people to be around. Perhaps, if properly convinced, they can help us avoid the Organization as long as possible. I mean…it wouldn't hurt to get to know his friends. Maybe we should give them a chance."

Honestly, she surprised herself at what she proposed to him. Though Luna is fully aware the Organization is hot on their heels and they should be exercising caution while they're out and about, she felt she isn't wrong about seeking what help they can get to ensure their tracks are covered as much as possible. Besides, it seemed to her that Axel is a lot more sociable than they last saw him, and Roxas and Xion is an intriguing pair to meet despite knowing little about them right now. Perhaps she's being too defensive for them, but she just thought it would be a good idea for Nero to open up to other people a little more.

Nero contemplated what she said for a brief moment, probably to carefully assess the proposition before he made any judgment calls.

"…Alright. You win," he reluctantly agreed, "If you want me to give them a chance, I'll go along with it."

Luna gave a small sigh of relief at the knowledge a compromise has been made between them. She'll worry about the bigger picture later since they have preparations to be made in the old mansion where they'll be staying until further notice.

Just then, Medea walked in on them, interrupting their private talk with a change of topic. "Hey, our intrepid explorers bailed out while you both were having your heart-to-heart chat. Are we still gonna inspect the old house or not?"

"Oh, they already left?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, well, you probably know why," Medea replied, "Ice cream and stuff, ya know. Can't judge them."

"Good for us. That gives us less worry about someone snooping on us for a moment," Nero said as he straightened himself out. "C'mon, let's see what the damage is in the mansion. Though, given how it's called an 'old mansion', we'd better expect it to be in abysmal conditions as soon as we step inside."

"I wonder if we would have to do a lot of cleaning in the house…" Luna admitted.

"What, is the place filled to the brim with cobwebs and dust, and all the machines rusted to high hell?" Medea asked.

* * *

Boy howdy, Nero didn't joke around when he implied the mansion might be old enough to have terrible living conditions due to lack of inhabitants. From the moment they opened the door and stepped inside, it's immediately noticed right off the bat the foyer alone had cobwebs all over the ceiling and linked with the chandeliers hanging high above their heads; dust filled most of the room and accumulated along the stairs, complete with multiple abandoned spider webs filling between the railings leading upstairs. Antiquities of unknown properties and history are strewn around the floor, having been broken into and then abandoned at some point, and the glass doors nestled on the other side of the foyer close to the web-covered statues of winged unicorns are clouded by dust and filth, hiding what waits outside. The air in the room felt rather stale and suffocating, most likely due to the state of the property having not been looked after since being long abandoned.

Medea couldn't help shaking her head in disbelief. "What a mess! Who the hell would leave a place like this in bad conditions after leaving it?"

"How tragic… It must've been a beautiful house before," Luna commented sadly.

"It's a lot worse than I thought," Nero sighed, "It's probably going to take a lot of effort to clean everything up."

"What, are we gonna need a lot of cleaning supplies?" Medea asked, suspecting what's to come.

"Yep," Nero replied simply. "And probably a few repairs in some places."

"And some food, too," Luna added, "maybe just enough to get us by until we can sort things out later."

"Plus, it wouldn't hurt to find ways to get the munny we need over time," Medea agreed.

"We can worry about that when we get there," Nero insisted. "It's not like the town's going anywhere."

That much is true. Since nobody has rat them out so far, it wouldn't hurt for them to get out into town and navigate where to go to get what they require. Aside from Seifer and his posse of bullies, what residents they have met so far have been approachable and sound like reliable sources for information if asked. Who knows? Maybe there could be more people that can help show them the ropes with how Twilight Town works.

"By the way, Luna, when was the last time you ever changed your clothes?" Medea abruptly asked.

The questioned actually stumped her for a moment – that is, until she realized that her Guardian is implying a lot of growth occurred with her without knowing it. Luna couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed about it, mostly because she didn't start out well-prepared for change after the damage Ansem did.

"Oh…well…I haven't thought about that," Luna confessed shamefully, "Though…I couldn't help feeling a little constricted."

"And I don't think Nero's any better in that department either," Medea added, her gaze shifting toward him. "He still has those damn tears in his clothes from Marluxia's attack."

"Don't remind me about that…" he groaned in exasperation.

* * *

"Question, Medea: what is it with Luna and her interest in corsets?"

After having left the mansion to commence with their shopping spree, Medea strongly insisted upon having Luna and Nero acquire a change of clothes in the wake of particular developments they've experienced. And she wasn't far off with her assumptions, especially when Luna had an opportunity to notice just how much she's grown without her even knowing it (especially since the clothes she wore throughout her adventures with Sora have grown rather uncomfortable on her). Nero hadn't planned on making wardrobe changes himself, but he was forced to roll with it because the Guardian insisted a little change would be good for them while they're still active.

"How should I know?" Medea rebutted, "Besides, it's not like she's wearing the kinds that would damage a woman's body. She's not that dumb."

"I wonder if it's influenced by people she's been around…" he wondered aloud.

"Influenced by whom…?"

Luna interrupted their conversation after having finished assembling together a new ensemble to fit into in place of her old clothes. She fit herself into a white sleeveless laced top and a knee-length night blue dress with a flounce reaching a little past her knees held together by a dark brown corset of a different style than the last, and she replaced her old boots with short black heeled boots; her black gloves changed into net gloves along with her tights, and het hat changed into a flattened purple mini hat holding a net veil hanging over to one side of her face. The only thing that hasn't changed is the moonstone brooch pinned to her shirt and the belt holding her leather satchel by her waist.

She raised her arms nervously as she asked, "Will this work nicely…?"

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Nero finally spoke up. "Uh…I guess so?"

"Wow, that's an impressive response," Medea deadpanned dryly.

Nero simply rolled his eyes at the Guardian's response to his awkwardness. It's not like he can adjust to his new environment and circle of company in one day. He's not fully accustomed to being around Luna and her circle of companions yet.

"But you look improved, Nero," Luna complimented sweetly, "You're dressed nicer than before."

It felt a bit embarrassing for him to hear a compliment outright, but at the same time he knew she's right. He changed into an asymmetrical dark-green top with dark grey khakis and short laced black boots under a short-sleeved cobalt blue coat that reached his knees; he also strapped a brown leather gauntlet on his right arm and a short fingerless glove worn on the left hand. The only thing accessory he kept on his person is the crystal moon-shaped pendant he wore during his time in Castle Oblivion.

The most answer he could give is, "…Thanks."

"And look on the bright side, Luna;" Medea said mischievously, "You might grab a little more attention from Riku while the old man's not scrutinizing us."

Poor Luna's cheeks quickly turned a bright red in embarrassment. "But…Medea, I – I…!"

Luna tried – and failed miserably – at trying to explain how she and Riku have yet to begin repairing their relationship after having just found one another at Castle Oblivion. But no matter what she tried, Medea wouldn't let up on poking fun at the pair's friendship and teasing her master for her teen crush on him. Truthfully, it baffles Nero how the two are master and Guardian when they appeared to be behaving more akin to playfully bickering sisters…

* * *

Later, after having acquired a set of clothes to work with, the three finally split off to wrap up their business for the day before they can get to work on restoring most of the mansion to a livable state. For safety reasons, Nero opted to return to the mansion on his own to examine any utilities inside the rooms in case something needs to be either repaired or replaced depending on how long everything has been unused. Luna and Medea, on the other hand, chose to remain in town a little while longer to gather groceries to get by with for the first few days and plenty of cleaning supplies to help with the restoration process in the mansion.

The lucky thing for Luna is that Nero still functioned as the man with the resources which provided her a substantial amount of funds to get a head start on purchasing the bare essentials – and a little extra set of cleaning tools for backup reserves just in case. However, they had just about gathered everything together and began running their chosen goods through the nearest cashier when…

"You think we got everything?" Medea asked.

"Um…I think so," Luna replied while she shuffled through the munny bag Nero loaned, "Unless I'm forgetting something…"

"Yes, you did."

Upon registering the familiar boyish voice nearby, Luna turned around to find – to her surprise – Riku on the scene handing her three buckets packed together.

"Riku!" Luna exclaimed jovially as she accepted the buckets. "Thank you."

"So, what brings you all the way out here right now?" Medea asked out of curiosity, "I thought you and Noir were gonna be having a hassle movin' the boys."

"Well, Noir wanted to know how you three were coming along," Riku replied with a shrug, "Did you find the mansion?"

"Sure as hell we did. But not without being harassed by bullies, being saved and befriended by security guards," Medea replied on her master's behalf, "and unexpectedly meeting Axel again after all the mischief he gave us. At least it's under better circumstances than in the damn castle, all things considered."

"Yes, it does seem like we've made quite an impression in town," Luna agreed as she gathered the groceries with her Hands. "I wish that boy Seifer wasn't too judging about us, though. But Nyx and his friends were nice to us after chasing him off."

Despite being blindfolded, Riku raised a brow with intrigue. "Really?"

"Yeah, but I sure as hell wish I had the chance to pummel the brat…" Medea grumbled as she grabbed the rest.

"We have yet to explore more of the town," Luna added, "but I think Mama might like this place once she gets here."

Riku nodded in agreement. "You're right. She might feel at home here." Then, he changed the topic to what's the status on the other side. "Anyway, it'll be a couple days before we can successfully transfer Sora and the others into more manageable pods, and then move what we can over to the mansion. But I'm sure we'll be able to adjust well enough as soon as we've completed the arrangements."

Well, it may not be much for news to go on, but at least Luna has the awareness of what goes on with the rest of the party while she and her group have been scouting out the town. Still, it's refreshing to know Riku made the time to check up on things on their ends at her mother's request. The only thing she can hope is that Naminé is not being given too much trouble while DiZ is involved through the whole process. After all, where Luna is concerned, the last thing she wants poor Naminé to experience is another bully that proves to be much worse in character than the last ones she was oppressed under.

"In that case, could you let Mama know we'll be starting a huge cleanup session at the mansion very shortly?" Luna asked, "It might take a little time, considering how big it is, and we hardly know just how much space it really has."

"Will do," he promised her, giving a farewell hug to Luna before he departed to relay the updates.

.

.

"I'm not gonna lie: it's been so far, so good today – the Seifer brat notwithstanding," Medea commented as the girls made their way back.

"I'll admit, it's nice to know we're starting to make progress settling in," Luna agreed, "And as strange as it sounds, I'm actually eager to get to know Axel's friends when we find a chance. Maybe you'd enjoy being around him once we get better acquainted."

"Assuming he doesn't start teasing me again," her Guardian grumbled in annoyance.

"Perhaps he teases you because he thinks you're interesting," Luna suggested with a giggle.

The ladies' chat only escalated into Medea's flustered insistence Axel owed her an explanation on what mischief he did with her before hitting the road, which only served to fuel Luna's curiosity as to whether something happened between her Guardian and the tricky redhead they've encountered more than once. At least it provided a pleasant distraction while things in their busy day continued on. Besides, when there's a given opportunity, they have multiple windows to learn more things about Twilight Town and get to know the new people that live mostly in peace. Maybe they'll even get to know Axel's friends tomorrow if they get the chance, maybe over ice cream – whatever it is they share together.


	3. Ch 2: Day 75 - Prydain

**Hello, everyone! Lilith here. And OMG, I've stalled on this chapter for WAY TOO LONG!**

 **Yeah, I'll confess, I've had a lot of stuff going on throughout those months after the winter holidays.**

 **There's been crazy snow days, me trying to maintain Valentine's Day, other holidays, and a sickness rearing it's ugly head for a period of time.**

 **That, and there's me suffering from writer's block for a period of time throughout those same respective months.**

 **But now, I've FINALLY brought this chapter up! Just so you know, given the contents surrounding this world, I took liberties to add in Final Fantasy characters of my picking, and I had to search the FF job system to give more substance to the Horned King.**

 **Also, if it feels rushed in some places, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get it done by this point.**

 **Anyways, without further ado, hope you enjoy!**

 **I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy except my OCs.**

 **Credit for this world choice goes to HiddenXEmotion and Zweig.**

 **To Mattman: I'll figure it out when I get there. Also, do you really want me to spoil who will fight Xion alongside Roxas?**

 **To WilyGryphon: Yes, Circe and Calypso are OCs for my Kingsglaive fanfic. I only have two chapters out in there at the moment. As for your curiosity on wardrobe choice: I thought Luna wearing a veiled hat would emphasize her shy tendencies. And I'll admit, sometimes I couldn't help questioning the wardrobe choices of characters. Funny you should mention Ardyn; I plan to sneak him in. Lastly, anything involving Shadow Mages will be exposited by Noir since she has more firsthand knowledge on Shadow Mage lore than even Luna.**

 **To Guest: Who knows? I might surprise my viewers one way or another. :p**

* * *

Chapter 2: Day 75 – Prydain

"Jeez, how the hell can so much dust and webs build up in a place like this?" Medea complained aloud.

"It is a big place, Medea," Luna replied, "It would've been a lot of work to take care of the mansion back then."

For most of the day since arriving in Twilight Town and settling into the Old Mansion, an extensive cleaning job and house inspection commenced until the place is livable enough to inhabit for a while. Luna and Medea have worked together to wash away the dust and brush the cobwebs off from every nook and cranny of the mansion while Nero searched the rest of the house for any plumbing systems and utilities that might need repairs. Though, just to be on the safe side, the foyer didn't get a full restoration so as to keep up the appearance of abandonment to outside eyes. But during the cleaning process, they had quite a surprise when they found that the glass doors led to a courtyard riddled with overgrown greenery growing over the weathered walls and paths of stone surrounding a fountain long silent and unused. On both sides of the courtyard are doors nestled to the right and left just waiting to be opened and explored by curious visitors. In the case of the latter, it's good news for Luna and her companions since the doors gave them access to not only useable bedrooms for each of them to sleep in, but they also discovered a kitchen where they can make their own meals – assuming Nero plans to start repairs there first, that is.

"But I admit, we're very lucky to have uncovered more rooms when we did," Luna said with optimism, "That way we won't have much worry about sleeping arrangements."

"Yeah, and it helps hide us a little more while we're here," Medea agreed wholly.

"Well, assuming someone doesn't grow too curious, then that's true," Luna shared her partner's sentiment.

By the time the girls had finished polishing up the kitchen and sorted out the groceries they purchased into the cupboards, they got a surprise when Riku appeared from a dark corridor to meet with them personally.

Luna is more than happy to see him. "Hello, Riku. Is everything going okay?"

"Slower than we thought due to a few members moving around on their missions," Riku replied, "We're trying to proceed cautiously until the coast is clear."

"Damn, that's gotta be frustrating," Medea commented, "Especially since we planned to move here to hide from them."

He nodded in agreement before he changed the topic. "Anyway, DiZ asked me to relay an investigation mission for you two."

"An investigation mission...?" Luna repeated, curious. "Where does he want us to go?"

"He wants the two of you to inspect a world called Prydain," Riku explained, "There's been suspicious activity going on in that world, but it's not entirely clear what the situation is. However, there's reason to believe a ruthless king has something to do with it."

The girls looked between each other, puzzled at the message relayed to them. For what reason would DiZ require their aid on investigating other worlds? Is it because he wants extra eyes and ears on worlds that haven't been searched by the Organization as of yet? Or is it because he wanted to use their exploration to study Luna and her family and friends as much as he can while keeping tabs on the Organization's movements? And that's not mentioning his vague reasons for requiring their assistance – which he hasn't been clear about since first meeting him.

"Why the hell would he want us to go exploring at a time like this?" Medea wondered.

"Maybe DiZ wants to know whether anyone has been meddling in worlds that haven't been charted yet," Luna guessed.

"Or he's using that as an excuse to observe us without us seeing him," her Guardian suggested, her voice oozing cynicism.

"Whichever way you swing it, there's always going to be Heartless present no matter where we go," Riku pointed out.

That is a fair point to them, all things considered. Even though Luna and Sora have closed off the Door to Darkness some time ago after defeating Ansem, that doesn't necessarily mean the Heartless themselves would be gone forever. If what they'd experienced in Twilight Town with the abominable lizard is any indication, then there might be bouts of Heartless that will still be encountered despite their numbers having been reduced to an extent. It's safe to say there's no avoiding facing those creatures no matter where they go. It's just too bad they don't have a keyblade to help them out this time around…

"Well, I guess we'll have to make the most of things, won't we?" Luna proposed.

"I would've loved to keep doing our clean-up job," Medea agreed reluctantly, "but I guess we still gotta do what we can to keep other worlds Heartless-free as much as possible." She turned to Riku. "Alright, how're we gonna get there? Were you sent to be the delivery boy?"

"For the moment, yeah," he replied, "at least until further notice."

"Great. Remind me to compliment the old man on his way of employment when he hauls his ass over here," the Guardian deadpanned.

Luna and Riku could only shake their heads at Medea's comment. There's no question she still holds serious reservations on DiZ, and she's hoping for a chance to hound him and interrogate him by any means. But then again, who wouldn't? They're pretty sure there's going to be a battle of dry comments between two completely opposite people once everyone's gathered together in the mansion – and one of them is more likely to be spewing insults directed at one specific person more times than not.

Anyway, using the dark corridor Riku had learned to use while separated from Sora and Luna, the girls followed him through the portal into a rather unsettling location neither of them expected to be approaching.

Their environment is empty and barren bearing nothing to be seen for miles on end; all that can be seen is a dry land surrounded by a large body of murky water nestled in the middle of jagged mountains with a bleak atmosphere of clouds and rumbling winds crossing the sky. The castle itself is a towering monstrosity of crumbling decrepit stone and overgrown moss infesting both rock and wood, its towers and walls decorated in spikes invoking intimidation to any who dare to venture unwanted into the territory unannounced. Light is minimal despite the torches lit around in scattered places, giving the castle an unwelcome presence in the midst of its already hostile presentation. Though it is hard to discern from down below, there appeared to be soldiers of barbaric background patrolling across the walls from a distance with utmost vigilance for any trace of uninvited trespassers that might come within their range of sight.

Medea looked around the place as she commented dryly, "Damn, just look at this castle. You'd swear it could fall apart at any time."

"It looks scary…" Luna said nervously, "It reminds me of that mountain castle Maleficent lived in once."

"Which castle? Hollow Bastion?" Riku asked out of curiosity.

"No, not Hollow Bastion," Luna clarified, "I mean the Forbidden Mountain. It's a long story…"

"So, this is where the tyrant lives, right?" Medea asked, shifting the topic, "I hate to think of how ugly his mug looks when we see him."

"Probably just as horrible as his castle," Riku suggested.

That's something the girls aren't looking forward to right now. If what tidbits of information they've got about the resident of the decadent castle is any clue, it's likely this ruler is nowhere near a merciful king, but rather a ruthless tyrant who won't allow any quarter to anyone who crossed him.

"Whoever it is that lives here, I hope we don't meet him right away," Luna dreaded.

But Medea shrugged those worries off. "C'mon, we've dealt with people worse than kings. What's an ugly old creep gonna do to us?"

"Then I guess you'll both be alright on your own?" Riku asked, just to make sure they can manage.

Luna nodded. "I think so, especially since I have Medea. Will you be back once we've taken care of things?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll come back as soon as we know things in this world have calmed down."

Using the dark corridor he used to escort them to the new world, Riku departed through the way he came, leaving Luna and Medea at the castle by themselves. Now that they're on their own with the investigations, the most they can do by this point is get to work and uncover what this king is doing to disrupt the land.

* * *

Of course, because of how uninviting the castle is deigned to be and what manner of soldiers were guarding from inside its walls, it stood to reason they had to exercise extra caution this time around due to how large and dimly lit the castle truly is. Not helping matters for them is that the girls quickly come to understand the guards are armed and probably dangerous, something they hadn't experienced yet – with the exception of some types of Heartless that came armed in opposition to them. In fact, just to make sure they didn't get caught immediately, they had to make use of the crack at the bottom of the castle wall to sneak inside the castle and navigate the halls. Speaking of which…

"I'm seeing actual people guarding the place," Medea commented, "but where the hell are the Heartless?"

Luna looked around a bit. "I'm not sure. We should've encountered them the moment we came here."

"What, are they being reserved for anybody who somehow snuck in?" her Guardian asked sarcastically.

Boy, does she speak a little too soon when, not long after they entered the open space of the castle yard, a group of Heartless formed and surrounded them in a circle. Caught off-guard at their unexpected arrival, the girls were about to manifest their weapons to fight against the arrival of the black creatures when – without warning – a number of guards charged in to the yard and subsequently seized them from the circle of Heartless that startled both ladies. Neither of them had a chance to prepare for a fight when the two of them were detained and forcibly led into the castle itself.

* * *

"Dammit! Someone's been cheating, I tell you!" Medea growled angrily.

"I don't think we expected to get caught so soon," Luna sighed in dismay, "The Heartless didn't help our case."

After having been caught for trespassing by the guards, Luna and Medea found themselves dragged and thrown into a prison cell somewhere inside the castle. Apparently their master despises intruders and made sure his warriors would detain anyone who would dare trespass at the first opportunity, probably because they fear their king more than anything else. Now how are they going to commence with their investigations when they're trapped inside the castle cells and waiting for either interrogation or execution?

"Well, great. I bet we're gonna be next on someone's chopping block," Medea grumbled.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure the Horned King would rather acquire information from you before deciding your fate."

Surprised by someone's response to their conversation, the girls turned to the corner to realize they aren't the only prisoners kept in captivity. In the cell with them are a young man and woman, the man leaning against the wall while the woman sat nearby him, apparently both supposed to be capable fighters in their right but bereft of their weapons.

The young man sported long white hair tied behind him in a ponytail contrasting with his light brown skin and brown eyes; he is clad in an asymmetrical black and blue armor set from head to toe with a long light blue cape almost reaching his feet and an orange bandanna tied together around his head.

The young woman, in contrast, has brown hair set in two braids and brown eyes with light pale skin; she wore a dark blue dress and a short black jacket with purple ring trousers and knee-length black laced boots, her only add-ons being a glove on her left hand and a moonstone bracelet on her right hand.

Curious as to whom these new faces are, Luna spoke to them. "Hello. Are you both held prisoner against your will, too?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking," the young man replied, "Telma and I meant to infiltrate the castle and rescue the princess, who was stolen by the Horned King. But we were caught by the guards and imprisoned here – but not without him attempting to force Telma to confess where the Black Cauldron is hidden."

"But how would I know what it even is? I can't remember anything," Telma added, "And yet, the stubborn monster wouldn't believe Firion about my memory loss no matter how many times he told him."

"Wow, that's frustrating," Medea commented.

"It must be. I'm sure she must be worried," Luna agreed with sympathy, "especially since you both risked your lives to find her."

"And the fact our weapons were confiscated on the other side doesn't help us," Firion added in annoyance.

Curious about that problem, Luna peeked through the bars and leaned in a bit to get a glimpse of the room right across them. The door there is open, thankfully, and even though it is distant, she can barely catch sight of a staff as well as a sword and shield left lazily on the rack stationed by the wall. She didn't see anything else, though, but it's mostly because the open space between the door and the bars are very restrictive and the archway of the room on the other side is not wide enough to get a full view. However, she did spot two guards outside the hallway, and they don't seem to be the brightest bulbs among the ranks since they're way too focused on watching the confiscatory rather than the prisoners. In fact, why haven't they tried yelling at them to shut up since the girls were talking with the other prisoners?

"Hmm…I wonder…" she murmured, a thought brewing in her mind.

Thinking quickly, Luna decided to try something she hadn't thought about doing before in her last adventure. She reached her arms out through the bars and - with a flick of the wrists - two Shadow Hands formed behind the guards, grabbed them forcibly, and knocked them against each other hard enough to render them unconscious. Then, with that window of opportunity available to her, she took the chance to redirect the Hands to tear off the cell door and cast it aside like a piece of crumpled paper. Imagine her surprise that she worked on breaking out of a place without relying on Sora this time around! At least she did better than how she handled her attempt to escape the captain's cabin back in Neverland.

Throughout this, their cellmates witnessed what she had done and couldn't help gawking in utter shock at one person singlehandedly incapacitating the guards and breaking away the prison door without having to touch anything to do so.

"How did you even?!" Telma exclaimed.

Medea rolled her eyes. "How many times have we heard that from allies we've met?"

After snapping out of his stunned silence, Firion peeked out of the open archway where the door used to be and looked around cautiously for any sign of alert from anywhere in the castle. But surprisingly, nobody heard what was going on. Is everyone's attention focused elsewhere to the point of forgetting there are other prisoners in the castle?

"I don't hear anything coming so far," he said, "Let's take advantage of this and prepare to leave posthaste."

"I agree. I'd rather not stay here another minute," Luna shared the sentiment.

"But we still have to find the princess before we get out of here," Telma added.

With the confiscatory room open for the picking, their new allies hurried inside and picked up their seized weapons like children having found their lost toys. Telma retrieved her magic staff from the rack and did a brief brush-off; just to make sure her weapon didn't collect too much dust from being left on display for who knows how long. Firion, on the other hand, gathered together his sword along with a lance, a short axe, two daggers held on the lower legs, a bow and a supply of arrows slung around his arm and back, a mace strapped behind his waist, and a shield fitted on one arm.

"How the hell can you carry this many weapons at once!?" Medea exclaimed in disbelief.

"Medea, can we worry about the logic later?" Luna asked, "We need to find a way out right now."

* * *

With Firion and Telma armed again, and Luna and Medea collaborating together with them, they immediately made plans to escape the castle and find any other prisoners (or attempting escapees) in the meantime. However, that didn't necessarily mean their escape would be an easy feat. Not long after having crossed the halls and found their way back out into the large courtyard where the girls had entered before getting caught, numbers of Heartless manifested into the area and made their animalistic charge at the escapees. The presence of the creatures also alerted the guards of their presence, and it didn't take long for the rugged fighters to take up arms and ready their weapons for attack. From there, it pretty much became a challenge to not only cut through the Heartless, but also an effort to avoid a rain of spears and axes hurtled in their general direction.

"Jeez, are these guys out for blood!" Medea growled as she clawed at every weapon thrown at them.

But then, in the middle of the chaos, two more people – a young boy and girl - emerged from another opening and were making a run for the drawbridge when the guards caught wind of them as well and started to either throw their weapons at them or made their way to the tower stairs intent on chasing them down.

The young boy leading is a lanky young teen with short red hair, green eyes and light skin; he wore a tunic over his shirt and trousers colored in different shades of green with brown leather boots held securely by straps around the legs. The young girl trailing behind him has long blond hair and blue eyes with light fair skin; she wore a pink and purple dress with white mid-sleeves, a black band around her head and black shoes. In the boy's hand can be seen a sword of ornate design and what seemed like a glowing orb followed close behind the girl.

It didn't take Firion and Telma long to recognize the identity of the girl, immediately hurrying to her aid despite the continuous assault by the soldiers.

"Eilonwy!" Telma cried out just as Firion called out, "Your Highness!"

The girl, recognizing their voices, turned to see them coming and called, "Firion? Telma?"

Not wanting their new companions to get into deeper trouble, Luna and Medea quickened their pace to keep the oncoming weapons at bay while trying to follow along toward the sealed drawbridge. Right behind them is the Heartless, their numbers increasing and in varieties of shapes and sizes. Before long, everyone is cornered with nowhere else to run. More soldiers and Heartless made their charge, and then many more arrived on the scene accompanied by a little green creature letting loose wheezy cackling remarks directed more toward the boy heard in the midst of the yells of the guards as they came closer and persisted in their pathetic attempts to hit their targets.

"Dammit! Now what are we gonna do?" Medea growled angrily.

"I don't know," Luna replied worriedly, "There's too many paths blocked."

In fact, there was no time for them to scout out for another method of exit, let alone be able to escape through the same path the girls used before to enter the castle. Before long, the ruffians are launching their weapons right at them, not having the best of aims apparently since the weapons kept landing within inches of them and stuck to the wood of the drawbridge.

"Taran, do something!" Eilonwy implored, "Use the sword!"

The boy, now identified as Taran, acted quickly with the sword he had in his hands and struck it against the chains that connected with the drawbridge. Then, at the moment of impact, a powerful force of magic emanated from the blade, the link shredded apart until it completely severed. As the chains parted away violently, the drawbridge collapsed rapidly until it plummeted down to the stretch of land on the other side. All of the thrown weapons fell off as soon as the bridge made impact on the ground, leaving them with enough open space to make a run for it to the other side.

"Let's get out of here while we still can!" Firion ordered as he fired off a few arrows before running.

"I like that plan," Medea agreed, following not far behind.

Before turning to run, Telma took a brief shot at their enemies and summoned bolts of thunder to momentarily incapacitate them long enough for the rest of them to head for the hills. But as they made their way across, another voice sound off behind off followed by the vicious snarling of a dog. Luna looked back long enough to spot an older man frantically fleeing from a scruffy dog just as the gate is about to drop down. Luckily, however, he managed to barely slip past before the gate closed down, preventing further chasing and allowing them to flee from the castle – but not without a slight wardrobe malfunction.

The old man can even be heard calling, "Why didn't you tell me you had a magic sword?"

Well, things have certainly gotten more interesting by the minute. As soon as everybody's far enough away from the castle, there's a good chance the girls will have to use the first opportunity of peace to find out more about this world, who the Horned King is and what reason he is searching for this Black Cauldron that Firion mentioned about.

* * *

Deep inside the corridors of the decadent fortress, the little Creeper ceaselessly trembled in the face of the master of the barren chamber. Tall and intimidating, yet so repulsive and deathlike in appearance that none dare to make any opposition under his service, is all the more reason why he earned his name of the Horned King. The malicious monarch is seated in his chambers awaiting any news of importance, shrouded in near darkness as the dim light from the torches outside barely revealed the shriveled face and soulless eyes of what can't be ascertained as either a man or a monster.

"You bring news of the pig?" the Horned King asked.

Creeper stuttered nervously as he struggled to explain himself, "N…Not exactly… It…it's t-the pig keeper. He's…escaped…along with others."

A sharp breath escaped the king's mouth. Whether it's a sure sign he isn't too happy about hearing what happened or not, there's no way his minion could tell. What is certain is that the boy proved himself to be a lot more trouble than expected. How he managed to escape after all the trouble of imprisoning him just to make certain he wouldn't interfere again in the search for the mythic Black Cauldron is anyone's guess.

Oh, the Creeper is so sure he's about to punished yet again. Every single time something in his master's plans go awry, he always is forced to take the blame even when he hasn't done anything to screw things up. He dreads the notion of being strangled again, considering how many times he's had to endure it…

But, to his surprise, rather than choking him out like he normally would, the Horned King had other plans in mind.

"Send the black creatures to follow the boy," the tyrant ordered, "He will lead us to the Cauldron."

* * *

By the time Luna and Medea had escaped out of the barren lands with their new allies, the party found themselves in a forest far from the reaches of their dreaded enemies and the Heartless. So far, this provided relief for them as the girls worked on acquainting themselves with the rest of the band of misfits that found themselves in the middle of the conflict that transpired within this world. The old man that had lagged behind them turned out to be a self-proclaimed minstrel by the name of Fflewddur, who just found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. Taran is introduced as an assistant pig keeper originally tasked to safeguard an oracular pig from the Horned King (though, the girls can only imagine how well that turned out considering how he ended up in the castle in the first place). Eilonwy confirmed what Firion and Telma had told Luna and Medea beforehand, with her being a princess who had been stolen by the Horned King to attempt to find the Black Cauldron. Given their testimonies, it's safe to say that each of them were unlucky to be crossing paths with that of the Horned King, and they all had the misfortune of being exploited and then cast aside from either being completely useless or outliving their usefulness.

"It must be horrible, having been hunted by an evil king for information on a cauldron," Luna said sympathetically, "But at least we managed to escape for the moment."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty damn sure we're still gonna have some Heartless chasing our asses very soon," Medea reminded her.

"Maybe, but let's enjoy our break while we can," Firion politely insisted.

"Yes, indeed. I should sing of our new companionship," Fflewddur agreed eagerly.

"We should actually sing of our heroic escape," Eilonwy suggested before asking, "Weren't you a bit frightened?"

"A…Fflam, frightened?" the bard replied nervously, "That word isn't in my vocabulary…but in this case, well chosen, my dear."

"I know a lot of us were in a survival rush," Telma admitted.

Taran scoffed at that idea. "Well, I wasn't afraid."

A lot of disbelieving faces turned to hear Taran's remarks. Did he seriously say he wasn't afraid, after what had happened? What on earth is wrong with this boy?

The princess commented exactly what everyone is thinking. "Not afraid? We were all running for lives!"

"Damn straight we were," Medea agreed, "Hell, even my master and I ran like our lives depended on it, and we did more to stall those goons and the Heartless than the rest of you before that."

"I got us out of the castle, didn't I?" he insisted.

"I'd say it's the sword's magic," Eilonwy argued.

"It takes a great warrior to wield a sword like this," Taran persisted.

Telma rolled her eyes. "Be honest. It's still a magic sword, no matter what you say."

But then Taran went too far. "What does a girl like you know about swords, let alone a forgetful woman and two strangers?"

Right when he made those rude remarks, two things happened all at once. Immediately enraged at the boy's poor choice of words against the four females present in the party, Medea was about to pounce on Taran with an urge to beat him to a pulp, only for Luna to act quickly and summon her Shadow Hands to prevent her Guardian from doing something regrettable. But Luna didn't have to worry about it because the princess and the mage instantly responded against the insults with enough fury to make the boy shrink back like a child caught by an angry mother for doing something she doesn't want.

"Girl? GIRL?! If it weren't for this _girl_ , you'd still be in the Horned King's dungeon," Eilonwy rebuked harshly, "And if it weren't for the two 'strangers', we wouldn't have lasted long while trapped by the drawbridge!"

"And for the record, young man, I am not forgetful!" Telma agreed angrily as she grabbed Taran by the tunic, "I don't have any memories about myself save my name, and I can't even explain how I've lived as long as I have alongside Firion. At least Firion and I have some experience fighting, which is more than I can say about you!"

"And at least I don't talk about it forever!" the princess added.

Poor Fflewddur couldn't do much to stem the fires raging out of the two women because his meek attempts to reason with them pretty much fell on deaf ears. So, defusing the flaring tension ultimately had to be left to Firion, who is not interested in having the problems escalated into something worse than a simple argument, more so since one of them has the capability to trounce anyone with just one spell. To reinforce his intervention, he had to step in between them and turning each of them away from each other with his own hands.

"Alright, all three of you, that's quite enough," Firion chastised them firmly, "Telma, kindly take the princess aside so you'd both cool down. And you, Taran, we need to have a little talk."

That gave Luna an opportunity to step in. "Do you mind if I join? I have something to talk about with Taran as well."

"If you're going, then give that brat a real good talking-to, eh?" Medea suggested.

While Telma reluctantly led the princess aside near the pond to get a breather, Luna followed Firion and Taran to the other side of the clearing where the older fighter had something to say regarding the situation.

"Now, I don't want to offer you a jaded view about heroism and fighting, Taran," Firion said with honesty, "but you have to understand that war and fighting is not a child's game. If what we understand about the Horned King is anything to go on, I'm sure there are people who won't care who is cut down just to get what they want."

"And you'd know about it because you've been there?" Taran asked.

"Well, considering how Telma and I were caught trespassing, interrogated and then thrown in a prison cell because we meant to rescue Eilonwy," he replied, "it'd be generous to say we were initially a threat before he learned about your magical pig."

Then, Luna stepped in to give her two cents on the matter. "If I may speak from personal experience, I know a friend who had a misunderstanding on what it takes to be a hero before learning otherwise. He learned to find true strength from within him rather than through a weapon or how many enemies he fought. I would know, too, because I've experienced things as a child, and experienced more when I was with my friend." She paused at the memory of her travels before she continued. "In all honesty, Taran, you're acting closely to how my friend began when we started our adventure. But I fear the difference is that you still harbor childish arrogance that blinds you to personal limits you haven't noticed yet. So if I can offer a little wisdom, I'd ask you to exercise more caution while we're traveling together. At the very least, you could learn to work together with your friends."

There was a moment of silence between them, giving Luna uncertainty on whether or not Taran actually understood what she's trying to tell him. However, at closer inspection, it's noticed he took a step back briefly and folded his arms in contemplation. Maybe there is some hope he can rethink his behavior and be more considerate of his peers.

Finally, Taran gave his answer. "…Well, I guess you're right. If we're going to find the Cauldron, we'll have to work together."

Luna smiled in appreciation. "I'm glad you agree."

"Great Belin!"

Startled by the bard's cries for help, it didn't take long for everyone to turn their attention back to the clearing to find out what's going on. It turned out that the old minstrel was being pestered by a small shaggy animal of indiscernible species, with the critter attempting to lay claim on the bard's hat and subsequently his harp. While this was going on, Medea tried to put a stop to this mess and catch it before the problem escalated, but is having a hard time catching the creature because of how quickly it's moving around.

However, Taran showed recognition as to what they're dealing with, but not with a pleased impression in the slightest.

"Gurgi…" he said in annoyance.

Upon hearing the name addressed, the little creature suddenly stopped in his tracks and expressed immediate recognition of the person who identified him, which is followed by embarrassment at being caught making mischief on the people present.

Luna tilted her head with curiosity. "Oh, is this someone you know?"

"Indeed, who is pungent friend of yours?" the bard queried inquisitively.

"He's no friend of mine," Taran replied bitterly, "He's just a coward, and a thief."

"No wonder the little bugger was being so grabby on the old man," Medea commented irritably.

The little critter – now identified as Gurgi – looked over at Fflewddur and back at the party before he innocently tried to give a more positive impression on him.

"Gurgi worried for Master when he went to scary castle," Gurgi said jovially, "so he came to find his friend – and Gurgi finds more friends!"

If this conversation is anything to go by, it sounds as though there's a bit of a love-hate relationship going on between Taran and Gurgi. Maybe something happened between them that left a bit of a sour first impression with the former sometime prior?

Just then, Telma and the princess arrived on the scene to find out what's going on. But it didn't take too long for them to figure out the reason behind the noise made a moment and who the rest of the group is talking to, considering how the little creature is seated close enough to the old minstrel.

Baffled, Telma asked, "Uhh…what is this?"

"I don't know, to be honest," Firion replied, equally perplexed.

"It looks adorable," Eilonwy chuckled.

"Well, he doesn't look so harmful," Luna agreed, "but I wonder why he wants to be friends with us."

"What I'd worry about is what reason this guy's trying to curry some favor from –" Medea started to state her opinion.

But then the sounds of skittering and shapeshifting caught their attention. Before long, a small number of Heartless emerged from their hiding places right behind Gurgi and Fflewddur, causing the two to scramble in a panic to get away from the creatures. Of course, that's understandable since neither of them are the fighting types. Eilonwy is in no position to repel the Heartless either despite having a floating magic ball in her possession. But then that leaves the matter of who can handle the Heartless' assault right now.

"Great. Just our luck having these guys show up," Medea grumbled as she readied her claws.

"Shouldn't the Horned King's soldiers find us instead?" Telma asked.

But there was little opportunity to think things over since the Heartless are preparing to attack like a pack of hounds. Acting fast, Luna summoned her Shadow Hands and joined her Guardian in the effort to fight the Heartless. Not long after, Firion and Telma gathered near them and readied their weapons to fight alongside their newfound allies. And then, to their surprise, Taran decides to join in on the effort with the magic sword unsheathed and ready for use.

"Hey, you realize these aren't your average monsters?" Medea grilled the boy.

"At least let me help a little," Taran insisted. "It's the least I can do."

"Then please stay close," Luna requested, "for your safety. I don't want you to be careless."

Thankfully for her, she didn't have to give further instructions to ensure Taran's safety afterwards. Perhaps that talk he was given from Firion and herself convinced him to rethink his attitude about fighting just enough to know when he needs to play it safe. Regardless, since the two of them are more than capable of dealing with the Heartless, Luna and Medea stood in the front lines and took on the majority of the annoying pests that tried to make their way through. Taran followed close by Luna's vicinity in case any managed to slip past the Hands' reach, using the reach of the blade to cut down any Heartless in range. Firion and Telma were not too far off as they took out any stragglers that snuck past the main party's defenses.

However, after things have calmed down, something that bothered them is the swarm of Heartless that ganged up showed themselves to be disturbingly easier to handle than they initially thought. Maybe Telma is right: shouldn't the Horned King have sent his rugged warriors to hunt them down if he doesn't want them to screw things up for him? Surely because of their escape, he would've perceived them as potential threats to his power.

That got Luna thinking. "I wonder… Could the Heartless have been sent to track us down?"

"You saying our resident evildoer is using the Heartless to chase us just to find that damn old cauldron?" Medea questioned. "You'd think he'd want us killed or something."

"It doesn't seem to be the case," Luna reasoned. "If what we've heard is any clue, his drive to find the Cauldron must've motivated him to even extend his control to the Heartless."

Well, it certainly explained why there were Heartless present in the Horned King's castle alongside the guards. The girls would know the feeling thanks to having encountered their fair share of villains that were able to control the Heartless to an extent in order to carry out their agendas.

Eilonwy heard their conversation and couldn't help feeling worried. "Does that mean more might come if we stay here?"

"Great Belin, there's more to come?" the poor bard lamented in dismay.

"Not unless we find the Cauldron first," Taran suggested, "When we do, we'll figure out a way to keep it out of the Horned King's hands."

"One problem, though – we don't know where the hell the damn thing is," Medea pointed out.

That's when Firion had an idea. "Well…we could try going to the Marshes of Morva. These things – the Heartless, if I heard from you both right – might not follow us in there."

But his partner didn't like the idea. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! No! We're not going in the marshes, not after what we've heard about the place!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Medea asked.

"Is there something in the marshes we need to know about?" Luna added with curiosity.

"It's where the three witches made their home," Telma explained reluctantly, "Anybody who intrudes on their home is turned into frogs, or if you're someone who wants something from them, they won't give it up without demanding a trade."

"Something we barely avoided before…" Firion agreed before shifting the subject, "However, given where we're standing, it's the only option we have at this point. And besides, they might have the Cauldron in their possession."

"Then we'll go to the marshes," Taran concluded.

"Gurgi and pretty lady come, too?" Gurgi asked eagerly.

"Well, we're all involved in this together, so I don't see any harm to it," Luna admitted, "It'd be better if we stuck together anyway."

"That's true," Eilonwy agreed.

"Then we'd better get a move on before more of those buggers show up," Medea urged them along.

* * *

Under Firion and Telma's guidance, the party made their way across the countryside until they finally reached the borders leading into the dreaded Marshes of Morva. Along the way there, though, swarms of Heartless would appear before them and attempt to attack them at irregular intervals. But it wasn't that big of a deal since Luna and Medea did most of the work clearing a path with a little help from their more capable allies when needed.

When they arrived at the destination, of course, it's not too hard to see why the place is not remembered so fondly by Telma. Not only is the marsh rather dreary and uninviting with its thick forestry and unsettling swamp-like odor permeating the air around them, but the waters that cover most of the terrain is too murky to see what hides beneath its surface. An ominous fog wanders around their vicinity almost thick enough that a knife could easily cut through it, accompanied by the haunting sounds of frogs croaking out a melancholic orchestra as the faint sounds of insects buzzing echoed out-of-sync with the hidden creatures in the emptiness of the enormous swampland. At a distance, it can be seen in the midst of the dull greenery and the soupy fog rest an unusual old house that appeared to be interconnected with a hollowed and broken ancient tree surrounded by waters murkier than found in the rest of the marsh. The stepping stone path appeared to be in a one way in-one way out approach, and not in a welcoming manner.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about how ugly this place is," Medea commented.

"Are you sure this is where the witches live?" Luna asked nervously.

"That's the spot, alright," Firion replied, "…But I don't hear any activity within the house."

Indeed, if a witch – or witches, for that matter – ever took residence someplace isolated from the rest of humanity, one would think there would be something suspicious occurring within their established abode. But there is no sign of the sounds of wicked cackling, conniving conversation or ominous chanting of incantations, not even the scent of something bubbling or cooking that would arouse suspicion right away. And what's more, when they opened the door and stepped inside the ramshackle old house, they certainly found nobody here. Though, there is a peculiar thing that struck them as odd: faint sounds of croaking frogs bounced around the place. Are there frogs in the house, too?

It would seem so, considering how in the middle of the room, there is a chest that faintly rattled from the strain of something moving around inside it and making ribbiting noises much akin to that of frogs. Normally, under ordinary circumstances, it would've been unwise to trifle with a simple chest should it ever be dangerous. But leave it to Taran to be curious about what's inside. Not one moment after he had heaved the lid open, hordes of small green frogs suddenly leaped about the room in a cascade and escaped out from every opening they can find. Now, someone would think that it's just a bunch of frogs, nothing to stress about, but…

"Medea…those frogs…" Luna exclaimed shakily, "They were people!"

Her Guardian's eyes widened. "Are you serious? What the hell kind of witches are we dealing with?!"

"Exactly what we talked about earlier," Telma replied plainly.

And they didn't have to wait too long to meet the residents of the house because a blast of powerful magic summoned forth three women of unsettling differences of physicality. The one in the lead is spindly in the arms and legs, but the rest of her is hard to discern due to the length of the robe being worn, though the wrinkles and warts on her face clued in that she's is clearly of older age. The woman to her left is much more spindly than the others and significantly older than the others, fully clothed to an extent and wearing a hood that fails to hide her wizened face and a manic gaze that locked upon them. The third woman on the right appeared to be younger than the rest with fuller hair than the others, but with a plump body that her dress doesn't even try to hide.

But judging from their angry faces, it's pretty clear that they are not happy about the intruders in their home – more so since the frogs being let loose have alerted them to what exactly happened in their own house.

"You dare intrude in our home?" the leader grilled angrily.

"And let our dinner escape from us!" the older witch screeched furiously. "We ought to turn you all into frogs for your trouble!"

"And what, continue with your sick food preferences?" Medea growled, ready to pounce on them at any moment, "Not if I tear you apart first!"

Luna, not wanting a fight in such small space, stepped between them and pleaded, "Wait, we…we didn't come here to fight! We only came looking for the Black Cauldron."

Her intervention momentarily halted the tension that nearly sparked. However, the instant she mentioned the Black Cauldron's name aloud, the three witches abruptly changed their moods from anger at the alleged intrusion to nervous unease about the topic brought up to them. If their shifty reaction is anything to go by at this moment, it struck Luna as very suspicious. It made her wonder as to whether or not they knew something about the artifact they're trying to find, and are trying their hardest to feign ignorance in order to keep their knowledge secure. Not helping the trio's case is their withdrawal from their vicinity as they struggled to come up with a possible excuse to avoid the subject and walk away without any more trouble.

The youngest witch stuttered a bit before answering innocently, "Uh…the Black Cauldron? W-Where did you hear about it?"

"We've never heard of it!" the scrawny witch snapped dismissively, "Now can we turn them into frogs, Orddu?"

The leading witch – now identified as Orddu - shushed the latter before trying to sort out the mess. "I believe you're sorely mistaken, my dear. I don't understand why you'd even talk about finding such a thing in our humble home."

Medea rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Humble, my ass. You threatened to turn us into frogs a moment ago."

"Firion told us you have the Cauldron," Taran added, "so do you have it, or don't you?"

Right away, Orddu gave a brief glare over in Firion's direction, partly out of wary curiosity as to how that one person present knew of them and partly out of annoyance since someone gave away sensitive information they don't want to share. But still, the movement in her eyes signaled quick thinking on what to do to settle the problem once and for all. Then, a sly smirk seemed to cross her face as she tried another way to convince them of their self-proclaimed innocence.

"Please, be reasonable. Perhaps you might be more interested in other wares?" she suggested invitingly, "A teapot? Cooking pot? Bean pot? Skillet? Bucket?"

As Orddu listed off the wares she offered to them, one by one the various cooking containers hovered around the room in a pestering manner. Everyone had to lower their heads down just to keep themselves from having a concussion. But when too many metallic wares proved to be overwhelming for them to avoid for dear life, Luna tried to mitigate the problem by summoning her Shadow Hands as repelling wards to little avail. Then, when it's least expected, Taran's magic sword suddenly acted on its own, pulling along the startled boy as he tried futilely to regain control of the blade while smashing and slashing apart every pot and cauldron floating around in the air. Although this gave Luna the time to quickly put away her Hands, the presence of the blade immediately caught the attention of the witches as they gaped in shock and amazement at the power of the weapon.

The spindly witch asked in shock, "Is that magic?"  
"It can't be…" Orddu gasped.

"Start guessing where this is going…" Telma deadpanned.

"I think I can," Medea agreed.

Hurriedly, Orddu urged her sisters, "Orgoch, Orwen, gather together. I have an idea…"

Immediately, they hunched together as they whispered and plotted between each other. It was a bit hard to hear what they're talking about, but that would prove to be irrelevant when their conversation stopped and a proposition is brought to the party.

"You know what? You're right. We do have the Black Cauldron," Orddu confessed, feigning defeat, "If you want it that badly, you can have it."

"Just like that?" Eilonwy asked out of curiosity.

"W-Well, that was pretty easy, wasn't it?" Fflewddur said in surprise.

But Orddu stopped them right there. "Ah-ahh, not so fast, my dears! We don't simply give anything away. We bargain. We trade."

Firion sighed. "That's what we thought…"

Medea groaned in annoyance. "Great, what do we even have to give them?"

That's where the problem seemed to be – at first. If the witches are wanting something from them in exchange for the Cauldron, then what could they possibly offer? Are they willing to just take anything? Or there an equivalent exchange they require from them? There's only one way to find out which it is.

The bard tried to proposition first. "Then would you consider trading the Black Cauldron for a harp?"

But Orddu just laughed at it. "What value would we find in a broken old harp?"

Well, that didn't work.

Then, Gurgi tried to make an offer. "Gurgi trade munchings and crunchings for Cauldron."

In Gurgi's hands is a half-eaten apple that he kept…somewhere on his person. The spindly witch – quite likely to be Orgoch - peered closely, laughing at the offer before rudely snatching it from the critter's hand and bite it until all that's left of it is the core. The rudeness didn't sit well with the younger witch – certainly Orwen – as she struck her sister on her head before propositioning on Luna's account.

"You have anything to trade?" she asked, "How about the magic hands of yours?"

That raised a slight alarm for Luna. How did one of them notice her Shadow Hands during Orddu's antics and Taran's using the sword to stop the flood of cookware? Perhaps a glimpse was caught before Taran pulled out his sword? Either way, she can't afford to risk exposing herself too much since she has little knowledge where the witches lie on alignment or whether they've met anyone else outside of Prydain.

"I-I'm sorry, but it's part of who I am," Luna declined, "I can't give or trade it away."

"Nice try, but my master's got nothing for ya to exploit," Medea boasted.

But then, Taran made his offer – and a shocking one at that. "I'll offer the sword."

Eilonwy quickly grew alarmed. "Wait, Taran! How will you be able to fight those creatures without a weapon?"

"I don't know. I'll think of something…somehow," Taran replied.

"There's still the Horned King to worry about," Telma warned, "Even if we do get the Cauldron from the witches, what then?"

At the very least, fair points are given about the dilemma. On one side of the spectrum, the witches are driving a hard bargain in exchange for gaining the Black Cauldron. But on the other hand, the Horned King has his minions tailing for them and the Cauldron, and there's no telling whether they've found them or not after the Heartless debacle earlier. Plus, where the girls are concerned, they don't know what exactly the relic is capable of once it's revealed to the world again, let alone how the Horned King intends to use it.

Orddu didn't help matters when she gave her input on the matter. "My dear boy, if you give us this magnificent sword, you'll never become a warrior. Are you sure you want to part with such a treasure?"

Though it sounds like she's trying to convince him to choose wisely, something about the tone in her voice spoke of a different agenda. Did she perhaps have her eyes on the blade due to its magical properties?

Regardless, Taran made his decision. "I will trade the sword for the Black Cauldron."

Orddu gave an excited grin as she announced, "We have made a bargain!"

With a wave of her hand and a flash of magic, she and the magic sword vanished into thin air as the sisters followed not far behind her. Then, in the next moment, the ground trembled furiously as violent winds tore the house apart, hollow wood and all, until all that remained is rocks and sticks scattered across a torn swampy earth and roots that couldn't be severed from where they implanted. To make matters worse, the many cauldron and cooking wares that were stored inside the house suddenly flew through the air in a rushing twister unseen to the naked eye until there is nothing left to be seen in the marsh. But then, a storm surged across the skies and bolts of thunder scorched the mossy earth with a vengeance. The ground violently opened up to slowly spit out a large ornate cauldron colored in black, decorated in mystical carvings with a face of indiscernible identity. It must be the Black Cauldron!

" ** _That's_** what the king has been looking for?" Medea asked in disbelief, "All I'm seeing is a big old dirty cauldron."

Luna, however, knew better once she sensed a powerful aura around the cauldron. "There's something sinister about it, something…evil."

"You'd be right about that. It was said an evil king was thrown into the Cauldron just to end his reign of terror," Firion explained, "But after that, his malice festered into the relic to the point where it gained dark powers anyone with a corrupted heart covets. It's precisely this artifact the Horned King has been looking for."

Taran heard all this and proposed, "Then we have to destroy it."

"I wouldn't try that if I were you."

The party turned around at Orddu's voice to find the witches hovering around transparently among the dark clouds circling the sky. They were snickering at their handiwork, no doubt thinking they've done something devious on their 'customers', so to speak.

"And why shouldn't we?" Telma grilled.

"I think it should be obvious to you all," Orddu replied, "The Black Cauldron can never be destroyed. Only its evil powers can be stopped. The only way to stop the Cauldron is for someone to climb in. However…they will never come out of it alive."

Paleness of terror crossed everyone's faces at the realization of what it takes to stop the cursed relic and the cost to do so. Who on earth would have the courage to pay that heavy a price just to put a stop to something this dangerous? That's almost akin to demanding a living sacrifice coming from a disturbed cult!

"What the hell are you pulling, you old hags?" Medea snapped angrily, "You trying to get one of us killed?!"

"Whatever gave you that idea, you banshee?" Orgoch retorted. "Besides, didn't you all say you were looking for the Black Cauldron? Too bad you don't know how to use it."

Sad to say, the witches had a point regarding what they asked for. Even though they put in effort to find the Cauldron, none of them considered just how dangerous it really can be or how it can be used at all. Knowing only its deadly powers can be stopped made matters worse.

By then, the witches have left them with only the Black Cauldron to keep them company. Now the party is left with a serious dilemma: what are they going to do about the Cauldron? No matter what they do, the Horned King will hunt for it. If what Orddu told them is anything to go by, they can't destroy the relic by any means whatsoever. And to make matters worse, the fact the only thing its malevolent powers can be ended by a willing sacrificial subject adds to the dilemma on what to do. If anything, it's nothing more than a lose-lose situation they're faced with and nobody's a winner.

"Well, great. Now what are we gonna do?" Medea grumbled.

Taran felt despondent at what he did. "I should've known they would do this. Without the sword, I'm nothing."

"That's not true, Taran," Eilonwy reassures him, "You _are_ something."

"Taran, listen closely," Luna said to him, reminding him of their last conversation, "A hero doesn't have to be a knight in armor with a powerful sword. Anybody can be a hero through the strength they find within themselves, the heart to do what they think is right."

That seemed to encourage Taran. "Maybe you're right. We can still do something right now. We have to do something about the Black Cauldron before –"

"Too late!" Telma interrupted warningly.

The party's attention is immediately caught by Telma when she pointed toward – surprise, surprise – the Heartless emerging from the mists of the marsh and surrounding them in large numbers. They didn't need to think of how they arrived in the marshes, but the fact they're here means it's only a matter of time before the Horned King's real soldiers arrive on the scene to capture them and seize the Cauldron on behalf of their master.

"Uh-oh! Trouble!" Gurgi exclaimed as he made to run for it.

"L-Let's get out of here!" the old bard urged the others, pointing to where Gurgi hurried off to.  
"I agree. We've got to get out of here," Taran wholly agreed.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts to get their quick feet on, they couldn't make it to a potential escape route before the Heartless cut them off and surrounded them. To make matters worse, with Taran tragically unarmed with no means of defense, any defenses that could be maintained can be only be done by Luna, Medea, Firion and Telma. But before they can make any efforts to plow through the black monsters caging them in one spot, the Heartless inevitably overwhelmed them to the point that the soldiers arrived soon enough to detain them and seize the Black Cauldron for their master.

* * *

Before long, all of them were brought into the Horned King's castle (again), and are bound with their hands high above their heads with their feet barely touching the rotted floor of an execution platform. The room they are imprisoned inside is a horror show to say the least. Aside from the sparseness of the chamber and its banners worn and torn beyond recognition, the stone floor is littered with hundreds, if not thousands, of human skeletons wearing the weathered and tattered armors of warriors from unknown numbers of centuries and carrying the rusted weapons of bygone ages. Right in the middle of the chamber stood the Black Cauldron, now settled in the middle of the chamber atop a small set of steps above the remains on full display for whoever can see it in its malicious glory. Outside of the perimeter, the guards present kept vigil for anything suspicious so as to ensure their king's plans are not to be interrupted by anyone foolhardy enough to make a nuisance of themselves.

"Dammit, we just had to get caught again," Medea growled irritably.

"What is the Horned King planning to do?" Luna asked as she looked around the room.

"I think the skeletons on the floor should clue us as to what," Firion answered.

Then, the doors opened wide as the room fell eerily silent as a tall, imposing horned figure entered the room along with that same annoying little green creature they had glimpsed during their escape before. The figure is noticeably taller than his scruffy soldiers, with skin colored a nasty greenish-brown appearing to be shriveled almost down to the very bones, and a face also having shrunken skin with no visible eyes to be seen; despite being called a king, he is seen to be dressed in reddish purple robes with a hood holding two horns atop his head and mud-brown fur trimmings around the edges of his hood. All who served him shrunk back as an invisible aura permeated the entire chamber. Luna couldn't help feeling unnerved at the presence of the wretched tyrant, and most of her companions reacted with a trace of unease. So this must be the Horned King, the monster that Taran and others have spoken about.

As he approached closer to the Black Cauldron, the Horned King directed his gaze momentarily as he taunted the group he had his soldiers capture.

"My, such a brave and handsome crew – a pig boy, a scullery maid, a broken-down minstrel, two mercenaries and two foolhardy foreigners," the Horned King said mockingly, "Perhaps you'd be interested to see what I have in store. I will call upon my army of the dead – the Cauldron-born."

"Just you wait, you skull-face! We'll make you wish you were dunked in that freaky cooking pot!" Medea retorted.

"Oh, I doubt that'll happen once his Majesty unleashes his army," the little creeper chuckled.

They watched as the Horned King picked up a skeleton from the cart surrounded by the bones of the dead, carrying the sacrificial offering up the steps and inserting the bony remains into the Cauldron as something suspicious started to hiss from inside the relic itself like that of something brewing within without showing what it is.

"Arise, my armies of the dead!" the Horned King called, "Our time has arrived!"

The moment he gave out his command, the atmosphere intensified as the Cauldron trembled violently and a powerful explosion of malicious magical energy burst throughout the decayed chamber. Then, a sickly green fog oozed out from the top of the Cauldron and spread across the room until the floor became a thick, indiscernible ocean of mist concealing the inner workings of what hides underneath the surface. The soldiers that were present grew uneasy as they inched closer to the lower parts of the chamber to investigate what's happening when suddenly, without warning, the very skeletons that were littered on the floor abruptly emerged with every bone rattling a murderous cry and pounced upon the now terrified warriors who dared to bear witness to the horrific creations presented. The detained witnesses could only watch in horror at the sight of the undead warriors striking upon the helpless ruffians and making their march out of the Horned King's castle to launch their assault on the land of Prydain.

"Go forth, my deathless warriors!" the malevolent king ordered to his legion, "Destroy all that stands in your path."

At his command, the abominable Cauldron-born shambled in an ominous march to the outside as the unearthly mist spread throughout the floors of the castle. Not long after having accomplished unleashing the Cauldron's dark powers, the Horned King had left the chamber at the suggestion of his minion so as to savor the incoming attack the undead army will unleash on the land, leaving the detainees unattended and on their own.

"Oh, no…I'm afraid it's all over for us," Eilonwy said sadly.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Taran replied, his voice showing regret.

"I wish I'd been turned into a toad…" Fflewddur lamented.

But Medea is not keen on accepting defeat. "Yeah, well, I ain't hanging around here waiting to get killed. I'd rather go down fighting than wallow in a pity party."

"If I could get a little wiggle room, I'd find a way to free us…" Luna agreed as she struggled to free her hands.

"I agree. We can't let this stop us from thwarting the king," Telma seconded as she tried to pull on her bonds.

"It'd be much easier if one of us had a knife…" Firion admitted, referring to the daggers on his person.

"Master?"

Everybody looked up to the barred window to see a familiar face above them. It's Gurgi! How did he reach the Horned King's castle without getting caught or killed on sight by the Cauldron-born? By this point, nobody cares about the logic.

"Gurgi! What are you doing here?" Taran asked, actually relieved to see him.

"Gurgi sorry he always runs away whenever there's trouble," Gurgi apologized, his guilt very genuine, "But he help now. He'll untie everyone."

True to his word, Gurgi crawled through the bars, reaching at a low enough level for him to perch on the platform where the ropes lead and worked on untying their hands one by one, freeing them from their bindings. Now that everyone is released, there's still only the matter of what to do about the Cauldron. Its power cannot remain active any longer; they have to find a way to kill its power for good.

"Good job, little guy," Telma said in approval, "Now we can get down to business before the Horned King gets back."

"Right. There's only one way to end this madness," Taran agreed as he started to climb up to the ledge hanging above the artifact.

Right away, Luna didn't like where this is going. "Wait, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stop the Cauldron," he replied like it's an obvious job.

"Now, wait a minute, Taran!" Firion objected, "You remember what the witches said? Whoever goes into the Cauldron to destroy its power will never come out of it alive. If you die, who will know what became of you? Who will mourn you?"

"What the hell d'ya think you're gonna achieve, throwing your life away like that?!" Medea added in protest.

"Please, Taran, listen to them! You can't do this!" Eilonwy implored.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only way," Taran answered, still set on his objective.

However, he didn't notice Gurgi had been listening to the whole exchange and quickly caught on to what the problem is. Realizing the wrongness of the situation, the little creature hurried past the others to intercept Taran's path as quickly as possible, hopefully to dissuade him out of endangering his own life for everyone's sake.

"Wait, Master! Don't go in evil cauldron," Gurgi protested.

"Gurgi, if I don't, we'll all be lost," Taran tried to reason with him.

"Gurgi doesn't want his friend to die," the critter insisted as he neared the tip of the ledge, "Taran has many friends."

What followed after happened so fast, none of them were prepared for the outcome. Taran tried too late to stop Gurgi from jumping off. Everyone watched in horror as the small critter vanished into the Cauldron, setting off a chain reaction as the relic itself let loose a flash of energy almost like it felt choked from swallowing something the wrong way followed by a wind that pulled back all the malevolent magic, causing the skeletal warriors to collapse around them.

But the party isn't out of the woods yet. Though the Cauldron's power has been terminated, it doesn't automatically mean it will simply go away quietly. Not long after it started absorbing its power back like a person inhaling food, it turned into a turbulent storm raging against the environment as it blew out the torches scattered across the room and disrupted the footing of the people in the chamber. This places a new peril on everyone present: if they don't get out of here right away, they could either get killed by the Cauldron as well or they could be caught in the subsequent collapse of the castle itself.

"Uh-oh, w-we'd better get out of here!" Fflewddur warned worriedly.

"What about Gurgi?" Taran felt more distressed for their friend. "Maybe there's still a chance."

"But Taran, the Horned King will know what happened," Luna started to explain to him, "And the castle won't last while the Cauldron is losing its power. We have to leave before –"

"There! There, your Majesty! It's the pig boy and his cohorts! They're the cause of it!"

Well, there's their chance at making an escape thrown out the window - at least where the party is concerned. Now that the Horned King has arrived on the scene, already enraged his undead warriors have been reduced to lifeless bones fallen apart from lack of support. To make matters worse, he has his sights on Taran as his reason behind the undoing of his plans – and he's not the only one caught in his line of sight. As he cast aside his minion in his anger, the Horned King made to approach Taran while the room abruptly dimmed with only the malicious green magic energy rushing through the room like winds in a harsh storm.

"You, pig boy, have interfered for the last time!" the Horned King growled angrily, "You – and all your cohorts – shall satisfy the Cauldron's hunger!"

"Oh, yeah? What're ya gonna do about it?" Medea retorted challengingly as she readied her Black Claws. "The big damn Cauldron won't work for you now, so what other tricks have you got up your sleeves?"

In response to her challenge, the Horned King picked up a thin, worn-down sword as powerful dark magic surfaced around his bony fingers holding the blade, causing a potent surge to erupt unto the sword, changing what would've been useless on its own into an intricate but deadly metal sword decorated with distinct demonic skulls and flashing a sickly green energy from the edge of the blade and the eyes and mouth of the skulls. To add insult to injury, he also unleashed his dark magic through the room, using what hidden power he must've kept under wraps for so long to raise a few of the skeletal warriors from their empty state (though it isn't on the same level as what the Cauldron had done when he used it, nonetheless the potency of the undead protectors is nothing to laugh at).

"Though it may be limited," the Horned King boasted, "my power cannot die!"

"That's what any tyrant would say," Telma rebuked, preparing her magic.

"I don't think he's fooling around here and now," Luna warned cautiously as she summoned her Hands by her side.

As the confrontation began, Firion took a moment to hand Taran one of his daggers. "You'll need to protect yourself. He won't be merciful through this fight."

With Eilonwy and Fflewddur safely out of range, the rest of the group band together for the oncoming undead soldiers ganging up on them as the Horned King readied his own arsenal to throw against them. While the undead warriors the Horned King managed to summon to life on his own were able to make a nuisance of themselves due to being boned humanoids mindlessly obeying their orders to kill, it's the Horned King himself who gave them a bit of a headache to fight against while trying to avoid getting caught by the whirlwind of the Cauldron's vortex at the same time.

While the skeletal soldiers were trudging towards them to attack, the Horned King launched the demonic blade while preparing a powerful spell for use. As far as who contended with who, Telma and Medea primarily focused on demolishing the undead warriors while Luna collaborated with Taran and Firion on trying to provoke the Horned King into coming out into the open. However, the demonic tyrant proved he isn't a complete pushover.

"You are all lowly worms to be crushed!" the malicious despot growled.

Crackles of dark magical energy filled the room as, at the gesture of the Horned King's spindly fingers, a hellishly violent gale stormed throughout the chamber, blasting against anything that stood in its way as it whipped and lashed against the opposition caught in the middle of the unholy storm. While they were caught off-guard by the storm, a burst of scorching flame scattered flares of nightmarish proportions, nearly planting them face-first to the stone floor below them.

With the party almost incapacitated, it seemed like the Horned King found an opportunity to finish off his primary target – that being Taran, which is a given since he gave off the impression of seeing him as the bane of his existence from day one – with his unholy blade. But then, when he least expected it, one of Luna's Shadow Hands emerged and caught the blade by the handle, preventing it from reaching its target while more surfaced to support her back on her feet and extend to use healing spells on everyone without her input. And to twist the knife even further, Firion also gave the tyrant a rude surprise when his weapons suddenly acted of their own accord and annihilated the undead soldiers in a flash before threateningly directing themselves against the Horned King himself.

"I've been around bad people before… Some were tyrannical, much like you," Luna spoke as she readied her Hands for retaliation, "You are among the worst I've met. Where some I've encountered before would want to only oppress the people, you are more inclined to mass murder against them. That's something that cannot be allowed."

"My thoughts exactly, girl," Medea agreed as she cracked her knuckles, "Let's show this creep what happens when they cross the line."

As Taran recovered his footing and helped Telma up, Firion rose himself from the floor with a word of inspiration to support him.

"If you want something better for Prydain, believe in the future and persist in the present," he told the boy.

By the time everyone got back on their feet, the ferocious gales the Cauldron unleashed upon the chamber to take potential victims has escalated. But despite this, the party is now ready to turn the tables on the Horned King once and for all. The Horned King's effort to use the evil sword is the first to be immediately derailed when Luna used her Shadow Hands to seize the blade and crush it under the pressure of her mystic limbs. With his only means of physical defense destroyed, the malformed tyrant is forced to rely on his magic to try and keep the opposition at bay. However, Firion made good use of his spear to catch and pull the bony despot towards them, leaving him wide open for the bodyguard and the Shadow Guardian to gang up on him with savage attacks from both blades and claws. Still, the practitioner of the dark arts wasn't a complete pushover when it came to using his magic to keep them on their toes.

But then it came to a head when the Horned King finally found a window of opportunity to make his move. With just enough reach, he seized Taran by the mouth region, intent on ending the life of the young boy with his own hands. However, this final attempt on his life gave Taran a chance to save himself. Using the dagger Firion gave him for protection, the pig keeper plunged the small blade into the Horned King's chest, forcing the despot to let go of his target.

Taking advantage of the moment of weakness, Luna unleashed two of her Shadow Hands against the Horned King, detaining him and pulling him away from Taran far enough to end up too close to the Black Cauldron. Though she didn't exactly plan on that since she only meant to rescue Taran from being killed, this action nonetheless sealed the cruel tyrant's fate. The gales the Cauldron formed caught the deathly king's robe immediately and, like a violent storm inhaling whatever it can capture, the force of the winds forcibly pulled him closer and closer as he futilely struggled against its awesome and terrible power.

"No! You will not have me!" he yelled over the drowning storm, "CURSE YOU!"

While the Black Cauldron sucked in the Horned King, the party at this point knew they shouldn't linger around any longer. It's only a matter of time before everything starts to fall apart around them, and none of them want to be caught in the middle of the castle's destruction – which is confirmed when the chamber began to split apart around them.

"Taran, everyone, the castle is falling apart!" Eilonwy called out to them in alarm.

"Time to go!" Telma announced hurriedly.

"I agree. We have to get out of here," Luna shared the sentiment.

"C'mon, let's haul our ass outta here right now!" Medea ordered as she pulled Taran along.

As everything in the decayed castle started to crack and crumble around them, the whole group made haste to vacate the place before everything fell apart completely. The escape led them down to an underground dock where two boats waited vacantly for someone to use them, something they didn't waste time to contemplate about since it's a matter of life and death by this point. But just when each of them has managed to scramble aboard the vessels, the pillars and stones above them broke apart so much that the waters made violent waves against them, forcing the boats to be cast down the winding path without a chance to prepare for a powerful tide to eject them out of the castle and into the open moat which surrounded the small piece of land. Incredibly, everybody came out of it intact, albeit very rattled from what happened a moment ago. From the boats, they could only watch as the castle exploded in fire and crumble to the earth which it once stood upon for who knows how long…

* * *

"Do you think the Cauldron disappeared with the castle, Medea?" Luna asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Medea answered while scanning the water, "We were too busy bailing out to find out."

Having recovered on the shore after the perilous escape, Luna and Medea scoured the edges of the water for anything to come out of the castle ruins. Though it sounds like a futile effort, they didn't want to take chances for any Heartless to show up again after the Cauldron-born had been extinguished earlier. And then there's Gurgi… They dread to think whether the witches were right about what happens to anyone who risks their life to put an end to the Cauldron's evil powers. It does bring up a difficult question: did Gurgi choose to sacrifice himself because he cared about Taran as a friend all along?

The answer as to what became of the Cauldron is brought to them when the abominable relic emerged from the water intact, its mockingly harmless features taunting their eyes. Though no trace of evil can be sensed coming from it anymore, the knowledge someone's life was lost because of that thing sickens them all to no end. If that isn't enough, the party is greeted by – who else – the three witches who traded the Cauldron to them to begin with, and their laughing clues they must've been watching the whole thing like a stage theater.

Telma, not happy to see them, glared at them and said, "What are you three doing here?"

"Why, we have business with your little hero," Orddu replied like it's an obvious answer.

Taran shook his head sadly at the remark. "Gurgi was the real hero."

"And he got killed because of that damn cooking pot the freak of a king tried to use!" Medea added angrily.

"Someone's eager to point fingers," Orgoch grumbled, prompting a scolding smack from Orwen.

"So what are you really doing here?" Firion asked, getting straight to the point. "Did you come to take back the Cauldron?"

"Actually, yes, since it's no longer of any use to you," Orddu replied casually, "We'll just take the Cauldron and be on our way."

Incredibly, Fflewddur stopped them in their tracks. "Wait! Stay your hands, ladies. We don't just give away. We bargain, we trade, remember?"

"That's true. You can't just take the Cauldron without giving us something in return," Luna agreed.

Because of the bard's amazingly cunning intervention, they got the witches right where they wanted them. Since these women claimed making a bargain with them is required to get whatever they want, it's only fair they make sure it's enforced against them just to ensure they don't simply walk away with the prize.

"Out with it! What's your offer?" the bard demanded.

A brief bicker occurred between the witch sisters, with Orddu hesitating on an offer and Orgoch urging for ideas to be brought up quickly before someone starts asking questions. Ultimately, Orwen settled the debate herself by using her magic to present the enchanted sword Taran had given up before in order to acquire the Black Cauldron. It's a rather tempting offer, but would anyone take the offering?

"How about this: a magnificent sword for a warrior?" Orwen proposed in an inviting voice.

Though the sight of the beautiful, powerful blade certainly caught the attention of the boy, it's noticed immediately by everyone that Taran strongly hesitated at accepting it. Such a marvelous treasure would've made him eager to become what he wished to be at the beginning, but now it no longer appealed to him. Instead, he looked upon the sword with a quiet repulsion at its grandiosity.

"A friend said to me real strength comes from within oneself, not from a weapon or how many enemies are vanquished," Taran said, coming to terms with his experience. "I won't deny it. I'm no warrior. I'm a pig keeper. What would I do with a sword as this?"

"Absolutely nothing," Orddu replied gleefully as she took back the sword.

"But I would trade…the Cauldron for Gurgi," Taran requested, knowing for sure what he really wants.

The witches unanimously gasped in shock at the request.

"What?"

"Why?"

"That's not possible!"

Their reaction is more than enough for Fflewddur to call them out. "Just as I thought! You've got no real power! Admit it!"

Provoked by the doubts to their powers, the witches unleashed what powerful magic they really have under their belt. Whilst confiscating the Cauldron, a strong surge of magical energy surged through the turbulent tornado that made it difficult for everyone to see what's going on right in front of them. It isn't until the magical storm finally subsided they have the chance to see what resulted from the trade.

Before their feet, they beheld Gurgi. However, it can't be discerned whether or not he is truly gone or if something had been done to restore him. Taran and his companions seemed to think he is still deceased since there's no sign of life coming from him. Even Luna and Medea weren't too sure whether anything good came out of the bargain made with the witches; they could only watch as Taran held the critter in his arms as he hoped in vain for his first known companion to be alive. But then, when nobody expected it…

"Munchings and crunchings is here somewhere…" Gurgi is heard mumbling.

Everyone went wide-eyed when they heard the critter's voice, first shocked at the unforeseeable miracle they've witnessed firsthand, and then relief washed over all of them as they watched Gurgi bouncing jovially at the knowledge he is alive. Most of them couldn't help rejoicing at the miraculous moment, while others just couldn't strings the words to explain their thoughts about it. Perhaps the witches used a great deal of their magic to not only restore Gurgi's body out of the Cauldron, but to also resurrect him in the process. Why else would he have been returned as though nothing happened to him?

Luna could only plop to the ground as she gasped, "Medea…did you see it? I almost feared the worst…"

"Now I have seen everything," Medea replied, dumbfounded at what she saw. "Those damn witches didn't fool around this time."

As things started to wind down, Taran approached Luna and Medea and told them, "We're about to go home. Do you two want to come?"

"That's nice of you to offer, but we have to decline," Luna politely refused.

"And besides, we've got other places to be," Medea added, "That, and my master's gonna need a long rest after all the crap we've had to deal with."

"Are you sure?" Eilonwy asked, hearing the whole thing.

"It's their choice where they go, my lady," Firion respectfully defended the girls, "I'm sure they have someone waiting for them elsewhere."

"And if what we've seen with them is anything to go on, I think they'll be fine," Telma agreed.

"You got that right," the Guardian commented.

Though the girls couldn't tell their friends the real reason they have to leave, it felt nice to know there's someone who has an understanding on why they have to part ways at some point after the conflict has been resolved. By this point, Luna and Medea have gotten accustomed to this pattern after having explored other worlds with their companions previously. And besides, it's not like they need a certain duck to hammer the golden rules of world traveling into them after having these things so many times.

After Taran and his band of companions have parted ways from Luna and Medea back to whence they came in the country, the girls started to walk away from the shore when they are greeted Riku near an open corridor, having just arrived on the scene. Needless to say, Luna is more than happy to see him – then again, Medea could share the same sentiment.

"So, was it rough coming back here?" Medea asked him.

"A little bit," Riku replied, "When Noir sensed a spike of dark energy, we feared something happened where you're exploring."

"Well, the Horned King came close to ruining all Prydain with the Black Cauldron's evil powers," Luna explained, "But we had a lot of help confronting him, thanks to Taran and the princess's loyal protectors."

"And don't get us started on what we've had to deal with the whole time we've been here," Medea grumbled.

Riku raised a brow at this. "Sounds like you've got quite a story to tell. Is there going to be a lot of drama?"

"Damn right there will be," Medea replied.

"But before we do that, it'd be nice if we could return to the mansion," Luna requested, "I'm sure Nero is probably wondering where we've been, and to be honest, I'm feeling tired after all the trouble we've been through."

"I'd bet you are, Luna" Riku agreed as he pitched in to support Luna. "You feel like you're about to pass out any moment."

"Nice to know someone's worried about us," the Guardian said with playful sarcasm.


	4. Ch 3: Day 76 - Noir Pays a Visit

**Hello, everyone! Lilith here, and I AM BAAAAACK!**

 **I'm SO, SO sorry for being away for so freaking long. I've had a lot of stuff going on, and my picture posting has been sabotaged by a whole different printer with a scanner I don't like.**

 **Anyways, after being silent for so long, I NOW have something to continue this story along. I apologize in advance for how short it is, but even in a story involving exploration and beating Heartless ass, we need some downtime somewhere. Also, this is a very dialogue-focused chapter, so don't expect anything too special.**

 **Anyway, just to give a heads-up, before we go into another world, I'll be offering up another chapter to give our current protagonist party a chance to acquire resources to help with communication and relaying information to each other and extra friends to back them up while in town. And as a bonus, I'll throw in a special invitation for...someone of no consequence.**

 **So, without further ado, thanks for putting up with my lazy ass and enjoy!**

 **To Gry: Don't worry. I've got plans for Robin Hood already premeditated before I jumped into this ball park. Just to back me up, I've made sure to watch it a few times just so I can plan accordingly.**

 **To Light Seeker 001: Actually, I planned on putting in Something Wicked This Way Comes (fun fact, I actually handpicked it out myself). Also, I don't know what Watcher of the Woods is. Care to give me a rundown, and whether it's from Disney or not?**

 **I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.**

 **Read, leave me a review, but flames are NOT acceptable.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Day 76 – Noir Pays a Visit

If there's one thing Noir knows she can't argue about, it's that Nero is right about how peaceful and beautiful Twilight Town is firsthand. After Riku informed her about what went on with her daughter and her friends two days ago, she felt she couldn't do wrong exploring the town on her own since the process of moving the pods is going to be a lot slower than planned in the wake of the increasing activity of Organization 13. And so far, she has to admit she finds Twilight Town a rather pleasant place they've chosen to lay low in.

Despite the perpetual sunset painting the sky, it gave the town an atmosphere of quiet serenity that isn't seen often in any other worlds with its elegant yet vibrantly colored buildings paired between each other and the reasonable balance of light and dark where neither is irritably trying to overshadow each other within the streets. Such a large and open town has many places anyone like herself can investigate into, whether it would be the shops scattered in the districts or the civilians who live in this relaxing environment. Speaking of civilians, wherever she walked around, she sometimes found several people of different ages going about their business like it's just a normal day for them, occasionally letting out a polite greeting or a friendly 'hello' wave as she passed by them.

However, just when she entered in the sandlot, Noir unexpectedly found herself being rudely greeted by a small group of Heartless resembling flowers ready to harass her. Truthfully, she suspected they would make their appearance at some point in the worlds, but she really wished she didn't have to encounter them so soon without getting a better understanding of the town first. But they seemed to be rearing for a fight, so she'll have to do what she needs to do to get out of the situation…

Or she would do it, except not long after the Heartless showed up and surrounded her, a young boy and girl in black coats unexpectedly arrived at the scene. The boy took the initiative and used a keyblade to strike down the Heartless closest to his vicinity while the girl used a few rounds of Fire spells to blast the others into oblivion. When it appeared to be quiet for a moment, the boy relaxed himself and turned to speak to her.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay, ma'am?" the boy asked her.

"It's nothing to apologize about," Noir replied, "What are you two children doing out here?"

"We were doing some recon in town when we saw the Heartless surround you," the boy answered, "We thought you were in trouble."

"And I think we're about to have more trouble very shortly," the girl warned, pointing her finger past them.

Sure enough, they noticed right away more Heartless of different shapes suddenly appeared in the sandlot and started to surround the trio. Immediately, the boy and girl prepared for a fight, the both of them placing themselves in front of Noir, intent on protecting her.

"Just stay close to us, ma'am," the boy instructed, "We'll take care of this."

But Noir had other plans. "Actually, allow me to provide a little help to speed up the process."

Before the two youngsters could ask her what she's talking about, Noir stepped forward in front of them to confront the Heartless. Then, she stretched her arms out towards the creatures, in which several little pools of dark energy manifested before several large Dark Hands surfaced and seized every Heartless they can catch, rendering most of them incapable of resistance for the moment. Then, at her nonverbal command, the Hands slammed the detained Heartless from left to right, rendering them momentarily dizzy from the violent impact felt.

With the Heartless briefly incapacitated, it allowed the two youths to go in for the targets and wipe them out in a flash. Before long, all of the Heartless are eliminated, allowing the three to have an opportunity to cool down and get to know each other properly without more interference for the time being.

Right away, the boy is fueled by curiosity when he said, "That was incredible! Are you able to use the same powers as Luna?"

The mention of her child caught Noir's attention. "Oh, you've met my daughter? Have you made friends with her already?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion when she heard this. "Wait…your daughter?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps I should introduce myself properly," Noir apologized as she introduced herself, "My name is Noir. I'm Luna's mother. What about you two?"

"I'm Roxas," Roxas reciprocated introductions, "and this is Xion, my friend."

Xion was quiet for a moment as she analyzed anything on Noir that could explain what she heard – and quickly noticed a few key details identifying a resemblance to Luna. First, she caught a glimpse of the hair, which is long and curled like a doll's hair, but is a dark black rather than straw blonde. Second, she could make out from under the veil there is blue eyes rather than green. Lastly, she couldn't help noticing this new woman is – if what she did see with Luna is anything to go on – taller than even them, not to mention a bit older.

Finally, Xion spoke up and commented, "Roxas, do you see any resemblance?"

At first, Roxas didn't understand what his friend is talking about until he gave a second look at Noir. It didn't take him long to realize what Xion meant the moment he caught on how eerily similar Noir is to Luna, except with some key differences. He couldn't believe he didn't pay attention to the details after having encountered her from the get-go.

"…Why didn't I notice it earlier?" he asked himself, dumbfounded.

"Oh, dear… I think I can understand your confusion about it. Luna shares the same powers as I do, but learned them differently to my knowledge," Noir consoled them, "I'm sure neither of you has learned about Shadow Mages either since they aren't heard of too often."

"No, we don't think so," Xion agreed.

"Plus, we've yet to get better acquainted with Luna and her friends," Roxas added.

Well, it shouldn't be too surprising for Noir to hear. She and her daughter are the only remaining Shadow Mages known in existence, so how would anyone else know of their race? Of course, she has just met these two youngsters, and it's likely they would be curious enough about her they'd want to know more the first chance they get. This could be a good opportunity to get to know them before she goes looking for her daughter in town.

"In that case, would you be kind enough to tell me more about yourselves?" Noir asked them. "I'd be interested in getting to know you two better while I'm here."

"Sure. Why not?" Roxas answered. "We can get ice cream and talk at the clock tower."

"The clock tower?" she inquired, curious.

"He means that tower where the train station is," Xion explained as she pointed at where their destination is. "Roxas told me it's where he and Axel hang around and have ice cream."

Now there's a name that rings a bell to her. It surprised her to learn these children are connected to Axel. When did he become a caretaker to them? The last time she encountered him, he was a nosy stranger who took pleasure in giving her trouble because he discovered her before everyone else back in Castle Oblivion. Though, at the same time, he was also a man of his word because he said he made no plans to rat her out to Marluxia, and he never did. She can't help noticing the contradictions right away. Perhaps meeting him again can clear up everything.

"So you know Axel? Now I'm getting more curious," Noir admitted. "It seems more things are learned by the day…"

* * *

With no Heartless bothering them for the time being, Noir followed Roxas and Xion through the streets where the two youths struck up an interesting conversation regarding the first meeting they experienced. Though, to be fair, Roxas had the most to talk about because he and Axel had encountered Luna and her two companions during a fight against a rather annoying chameleon Heartless days before. He described what happened when Luna and her friends charged into the fray, how they helped him and Axel eliminate the lizard Heartless, and how their brief chat went down before parting ways from them for the time being since it was explained they want to get settled in first before they got down to business.

"…I haven't seen them in a couple of days since that first meeting," Roxas finished his story. "I hope we'd be able to see Luna again, maybe her friends, too, if they aren't too busy."

"She must be around here somewhere," Noir promised him, "I hope she's doing alright. This town is a new place for her, and I'd feel much better knowing she's found more people to befriend while she's here."

"Maybe she already did," Xion suggested, hoping to reassure the mother.

Just when they neared the ice cream shop, they got a surprise when Luna emerged from a nearby shop with a small bag in her hand, blissfully unaware of what's going on in the streets. Roxas quickly took the initiative and waved at her while calling out to her, hoping he'd be able to get her attention.

"Hey, Luna!" he called to her.

Luna stopped and followed the voice to find Roxas eagerly waving to her with Noir and Xion watching near the ice cream shop.

"Oh! Hello, Roxas," she greeted him as she approached, "What are you doing?"

"Xion and I are about to get ice cream with Noir," he replied, "Do you want to join us?"

Surprise crossed her face as she looked between Roxas and her mother. "You met Mama? What happened?"

"We saw her surrounded by Heartless while we were scouting Twilight Town," Xion answered for him. "We thought she needed help, but she ended up helping us wipe them out instead."

"I don't fault them for thinking that way," Noir chuckled. "The Heartless caught me by surprise the moment I was alone, and they thought I was a harmless woman in peril."

That's something Luna didn't expect to hear. She had suspected it would be her mother's first time entering Twilight Town in person, but she never thought she'd have an encounter with the Heartless in the process. The closest one she and her companions faced upon arrival was an annoying chameleon-shaped Heartless that reminds her of a certain confrontation she had experienced with her last friends prior to Castle Oblivion. Though, Roxas and his friends were already fighting it when they crossed paths for the first time, so it was cakewalk compared to the last time she faced a chameleon. Regardless, it was rather nice of the two kids to go out of their way to help Noir despite not knowing who she was initially.

"Oh, my… I hope it didn't leave a bad first impression, Mama," Luna said to her mother.

"No, no, everything turned out alright afterwards," Noir assured her sweetly, "It's nothing to worry about. Besides, they were kind enough to offer an invitation to join them at the clock tower."

"Do you wanna come with us?" Roxas asked invitingly.

Luna thought about it a moment before she answered, "Well, I'm not in a hurry, so…sure, why not?"

In enthusiasm at another guest coming along, Roxas and Xion made the requests for the ice cream at the shop. Each is given a stick of blue ice cream from the shop owner before passing through the streets. After that, Roxas led everyone to the clock tower since he has more knowledge of the lay of the land than the rest of the group.

* * *

If there is something mother and daughter have to admit, it's that they didn't expect to make a hike to the top of the clock tower. It's a little dizzying at first because of how high the ledge of the clock tower is from the platform leading into the train station. However, with their eyes focused elsewhere, the view of the town from the top is downright gorgeous. It's a strange yet wondrous feeling to see Twilight Town from another perspective. From above, it felt as though the town became smaller in scale, its scope much wider than they could possibly imagine. They can see many more buildings spread out across the land; some sections divided by walls and gates, and can barely make out a beach far outside of town leading out into a vast immeasurable ocean greeted with the perpetual but beautiful sunset. It makes them wonder if there's more to explore in this town than they believe.

"Well, look who decided to join in today."

Just as they've settled in, a familiar voice caught the attention of Noir and Luna as they followed Roxas and Xion's shifting gaze to find Axel joining in on the fun.

"We have another guest, Axel," Xion spoke up first, directing her hand to Noir.

Axel looked past his friends out of curiosity to find a new face alongside the familiar, and his interest is piqued very quickly.

"Ah, the mother arrives in town to join her daughter," Axel said casually. "Hope you haven't had too much trouble on arrival."

"Aside from the Heartless making a rude entrance, the welcome wagon wasn't tarnished too badly," Noir replied. "These children helped me despite hardly knowing me, and had…rather interesting things to talk about since meeting them. Though, I also gave them a bit of a shock to know my relations to Luna."

"Did you happen to know Noir at all?" Xion inquired to him. "Or the fact Luna has a…what did she say? 'Birth mother', I think?"

That particular inquiry prompted Axel to shake his head as he tried his hardest not to laugh out loud. He couldn't believe how the two young novices heard about this piece of information from both women, and still don't have a clue what exactly is going on. If that's the case, he has a lot of explaining to do, but it won't be that simple because even his knowledge regarding them is limited at best.

"Hoo, boy… That got awkward real fast," he commented. "Where do I begin?"

"As I recall, when we first met, you claimed to have met my daughter and goaded me into fighting you because you wanted to know what I can do," Noir remembered. "And yet, here you are, behaving unlike before and with these two children under your charge."

"We were surprised to see that, too. Axel is a lot nicer," Luna admitted, "and Roxas was very eager to befriend us when we were introduced."

"We haven't gotten to talk to Nero yet," Roxas added in. "Where is he anyway?"

"Oh, well, he's busy making repairs," Luna explained. "Medea and I have been cleaning house for a while now."

Roxas and Xion gave her weird looks when she mentioned her and her Guardian doing cleaning duty. Apparently it's something neither of them knew people do in their everyday lives. What have these two been taught, if at all?

"You mean…you guys have been fixing a house?" Xion asked, trying to understand. "Is that a thing?"

"Well…if we're going to be staying here for a while, there's no wrong making a place more livable, right?" Luna replied.

"Though, it does leave one persistent issue: the Organization," Noir confessed.

Indeed, it is a problem that needs addressing straight away. Luna had considered a few days ago to speak with the trio personally about her friends' situation and see whether they'd be willing to help them in any way they can. The agreement between her friends and family is they need help ensuring their tracks are covered from the Organization's sight as long as possible. After all, despite the experience of Castle Oblivion with Axel and the half of the group being quite a headache, he didn't give them away as he was supposed to. There's no reason to believe he and his friends can be of help to them in whatever way they can offer just the same.

"Oh, yes, that's right. Axel, I was hoping to ask a little help about something," she requested.

It got his attention right away. "Oh, really? What do ya need help on?"

"Well, I understand you're involved with the Organization still, but since there are other people in the group trying to look for us, we thought we could ask a favor," Luna explained. "If it's not too much trouble, could we get your help trying to avoid the Organization? Maybe you know how we can keep your colleagues from locating us and capturing us."

Concern quickly crossed Roxas's face. "What? Why? Are you guys in danger?"

"You could word it that way," Noir replied on her daughter's behalf. "We're worried someone else might try to hunt down one of us. Speaking as a mother, I worry more for my daughter, Medea and Nero more than myself. Is there anything you and your companions can do to protect us from them?"

Roxas and Xion looked at Axel as he rubbed his chin in thought, curiously wondering what proposition would be thrown in.

"I'm pretty sure we can keep our colleagues off your scent as best we can," Axel replied after a little thought. "Though, that means we're gonna have to address the behemoth in the room: Xemnas. If I know him, he's the one most hell-bent on trying to find Luna. The others are just acting as his eyes and ears at every opportunity, just in case they get any leads. I take it you've been informed on how long he and the other members have tried to find her?"

"Yes, I heard from Luna they tried to find her for nine years," Noir replied. "Why they are, I don't know."

"That's a long time to be looking for someone," Xion commented, wide-eyed in disbelief.

"It is. But…to be honest, it scares me. I don't know why your leader is trying to look for me, least of all what he wants," Luna confessed worriedly.

While mother and daughter gave some truth to their newfound friends regarding their own situation, they didn't want to divulge too much of their problems since they don't have a clear understanding as to how the Organization operates or who else is involved in this unknown party. Also, any other information they have might be too precarious to trust with anyone else. They don't want to put Sora at risk while trying to get help in the process. From both women's perspective, it's best if the four of them are able to acquire what protection they can from those who would know how the group they're affiliated with works inside and out. After all, who else can they turn to in order to guard their backs while wandering around?

Roxas looked at Axel nervously. "Any ideas on what we can do to help?"

The redhead took a moment to think about it before he proposed his plan. "If I know the way the Organization works – which I do for the most part – one thing we'd have to watch out for is who we're reporting back to. But since they don't know what we know right now, that'll give us enough time to play dumb on whether or not we found anything. Granted, some members might be more wary than others about liars, but I'm sure we can come up with something to convince them of our 'honesty' on our findings. But if someone does get suspicious, we can try to arrange some contingency plans in case playing dumb starts to fall apart."

Any help that can be offered gave Luna some relief. "That sounds like a good place to start."

"I agree. I mean, it sounds wrong that you guys are being stalked," Roxas agreed wholeheartedly.

"So, all we have to do is keep them focused on us in order to mitigate the problem?" Xion queried just to clarify what they're doing.  
"Pretty much," Axel replied like it's a simple answer.

Noir breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't thank you three enough for being so willing to help us."

"Hey, you guys do you. We'll keep your tracks covered, don't worry," Axel reassured her, shrugging off the compliments.

Knowing an alliance has been secured, the rest of the time hanging around the clock tower settled into friendly conversations and enjoying their ice cream as the town continued to go about its business obliviously. It felt relaxing to be able to meet new people and get to know their new environment without having any trouble invading their quality time together, especially considering they will still have to contend with bouts of Heartless no matter where they go every once in a while. But for now, they just want to enjoy the moment.

* * *

Later, after having parted ways with their new allies, Luna made her way back into town because she has to meet back up with Medea and Nero (she didn't tell them exactly where they are living so as not to compromise their location), and her mother followed along with her as she wanted to be able to get an update on how the settlement is coming along before she wants to meet back with the rest of the group.

"I must say, those three are an interesting trio," Noir admitted. "Axel is certainly different from how he behaved at Castle Oblivion, and Roxas and Xion are such sweethearts."

"I know. As far as we could tell, they are very decent compared some of the people connected to them," Luna agreed. "Maybe I'm being too trusting, but I think we can trust them to help us when we need them. It's better than trying to hide ourselves on our own."

"You're right. Perhaps we are placing a lot of trust in them, but I'm willing to take chances having friends who know their own group if you're willing to have faith in them," her mother seconded.

As mother and daughter passed close to the hole leading to where the Old Mansion is, they are greeted by Nero walking past them with a toolbox and paint cans in his hands. He must've been busy making trips into the markets for tools and equipment for renovations and repairs in the mansion where they're planning on staying.

"Hello, Nero! Are you hard at work fixing things?" Noir spoke up.

Abruptly, Nero stopped in his tracks and turned to see Luna and Noir meeting up with him. His face expressed surprise at reuniting with one of their own.

"Oh! Hi, Noir. Came by to check up on things?" he asked.

"I just wanted to look around town, come see how everything is going," Noir replied. "Riku told me the three of you met a few residents and are already working on cleaning up the mansion for us to use. Was it a challenge at all?"

"Heck, yeah, it was. The whole place was dusty, and I found a lot of pipes and machines that needed either extensive repair or urgent replacement," Nero explained, gesturing at the tools in his hands.

Luna giggled. "Medea often complained about the dust. But we did make good process cleaning everything up."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't come along earlier," Noir joked dryly, "or I would've complained about it myself if Medea hadn't already."

"I still have to continue the repairs, but you're more than welcome to come in and check everything out," Nero said as he walked on.

"Yes, I think you should. You'll be happy to know we've found some rooms we can use for ourselves," Luna invited.

"You know what? I'd love to see how much you've progressed," her mother agreed. "It has to be much improved so far."

While chatting more about what they've been doing as of late, Luna and Nero led Noir passed through the hole leading down the path to the Old Mansion with nothing else to bother them for the rest of the day.


	5. Ch 4: Day 83 - Man of No Consequence

**Hello, everyone!**

 **Lilith here, and I afraid you're in luck. I've brought in a few more guest appearances, and I assure you with the former it won't be the last time he'll tease our intrepid protagonists.**

 **Anyway, let me apologize for taking a while on this. During the writing process, I've been forced to deal with changing internet browsers and the goddamn laptop freezing on me once in a while. I'm not gonna ask whether any of you had to fight your computers if you had any, so don't respond to that if you please.**

 **Also, if this chapter feels rushed anywhere, I apologize in advance.**

 **So, with all the melodrama out of the way, before we make our travel plans to the richest plum of all England, I'm gonna need a little help on a petty hurdle: with the next world involving animals behaving akin to people, do you darling viewers have any ideas on what animal forms Luna and Nero would (or should) take on to explore incognito? Please leave your ideas in a review or PM me. Whatever two animal ideas is most prominent will be finalized when I start writing the next chapter.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy!**

 **To Mattman: Honestly, I didn't view the ReMind business too much. I did view the data matches, though. It was a huge "HOLY S**T" with what they did with the data matches. Also, don't get me wrong, the Yozora character was...kinda interesting to put it lightly. Keep in mind, I can't pay attention to everything. My interests have a tendency to shift. I'm sure everyone's been there. -_-;**

 **I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.**

 **Read, leave me a review, but flames are not acceptable in my books.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Day 83 – A Man of No Consequence

"Man, all this cleanin' and fixin' was a pain in the ass!" Medea sighed loudly, "As much as I like how much better it's comin' around, I'll be pissed if I find one more damn rat hole!"

"At least we made good progress," Luna said with optimism. "I'm sure Naminé would love a more hospitable location than a castle."

"Damn right she would. Hell, I'd say we'd be better caretakers than those jackasses," her Guardian agreed. "I wouldn't count that DiZ guy on my list of guardians, though."

Several days have passed since they arrived in Twilight Town, and working on extensive cleanup and repairs at the Old Mansion has been quite a long one for Luna and her party. Things have been working out for them so far, especially since they've acquired help from Axel, Roxas and Xion, who all agreed to pool their knowledge of the Organization into ensuring nobody in her group is found by one of their own. Occasionally Noir or Riku would pay a visit to update them on the moving process or just to have a chat with them and catch up with each other, so it didn't get too lonesome in the mansion.

For today, Luna and Medea decided to take a break from their cleanup duties together and see what more of Twilight Town they can explore. After all, a large town like this must have plenty of places for them to visit and people they can interact with. Maybe they can learn more about Twilight Town's history and stories if they're lucky. Of course, they'll probably have to keep an eye out for Seifer and his gang in the meantime, given the bad first impression they gave them when they first arrived in town.

Fortunately for them, everything in town is relatively peaceful. The streets are a little busy with various people going about their day without concern for trouble, from mothers and children shopping for essentials to civil servants working hard to keep the town as neat and clean as they possibly can. No Heartless can be seen anywhere so far, but from experience, one can never know when they'll surface again – hopefully, though, they will be nowhere near the local populace, which would be a huge problem. It's just a normal day in the neighborhood for the time being.

"I wonder what else we can find in this town," Luna wondered. "A big place like this must have something new to learn about."

"As long as it doesn't involve Heartless or a crazy-ass monster haunting a damn house," Medea commented, "I'm golden on any local tours."

"The Heartless part, I can understand," Luna agreed to an extent, "but with the latter, I'm not sure if that's avoidable."

"Dammit."

* * *

After passing through the tram common and the sandlot, the women ventured further in town to find a street with a selection of shops much like the other one they've been shopping from, but the noticeable difference is the stalls and buildings are wider with a wider assortment of goods to offer to whoever is interested in other products. Another thing noticed is the few houses either fused with the shops or completely separate from the rest of the club, all of them colored like the rest of the buildings in Twilight Town except with slight additional décor on the home and yard to distinguish themselves from the rest of the locale. The appearances and wardrobe style of the people there also gave away that the residents who live here live a different lifestyle.

"Damn, either this place makes us invisible to the crowd," Medea in disbelief, "or we stick out like sore thumbs."

"Maybe these people are influential in town," Luna suggested. "It would explain how this part of town looks."

As much as they wanted to stay and have a look around at what this part of town has to offer, they opted to wait on it a moment and keep exploring the streets to see what else they can do in this idyllic landscape. After all, it might be a little busy at the moment, and nobody seems to be aware of their presence right now. There's always another day to learn about the locale and how they lived.

* * *

In the next part of town, they found themselves facing a row of buildings set in a wide upside-down capital T. Judging by the quality of the construction and the architecture of the buildings, it seemed as though they were built to be as practical as possible with lesser materials acquired just to keep the elements at bay. The square and streets stretching across are made of the same stony material used for the market square and beyond, but with some patches scattered about attempting to maintain usage while it still can until proper repairs can be made. Three gates can be seen from all three directions leading to the outside of the town, but upon second glance they could swear they're seeing cracks hiding behind the houses, exposing small traces of land outside of the town's walls. What else is beyond that point is anyone's guess?

"Whoa, who would live in this kind of place?" Medea questioned, looking around.

"I wonder about that… Maybe the people who live in this area are involved in dangerous occupations?" Luna guessed.

"Where the hell would they be working on if it's something dangerous?" the Guardian asked.

"Perhaps we can see where the people are past one of the gates," Luna suggested, pointing at the gate ahead of them.

Since the street is not so busy around here, Luna and Medea just pressed on until they reached the gate standing right in their line of sight. As they moved closer, however, they quickly noticed something is amiss. Though the gate is open to walk past, what stopped them from going further out is the blockade cutting them off from the path. Not only are there wooden barriers arranged around the gate's vicinity, there are also rows of white and blue colored tapes held by several thin poles arranged past the barriers.

"What the hell is this? What's the deal?" Medea fussed.

"Why would this gate be blocked off?" Luna wondered, equally confused. "There isn't anything dangerous outside, is there?"

"I'm afraid you're out of luck, my dears."

The sound of the smooth, deep male voice startled the girls, prompting them to turn to their right to find they aren't alone. They are greeted by the sight of a peculiar stranger neither of them has ever seen since first arriving in Twilight Town, casually leaning against the wall of an empty house without a care.

The stranger appeared to be a middle-aged man with red-violet hair and amber eyes, and standing much taller than both girls. He is dressed in a long black trench coat and pinstripe trousers with a black waistcoat over a white tunic and unusual boots both decorated and slashed put together. He is also accessorized by a red scarf around his neck and a gray hooded mantle across the coat, black fingerless gloves, and a black fedora on his head.

"Pardon me, sir, but is there something wrong out there?" Luna inquired politely.

The man raised a brow at her. "You don't know, young lady? It's utter chaos out there. There's an army out in the countryside investigating a strange phenomenon. Nobody is allowed out there until it's all taken care of."

Confusion crossed the girls' faces. They were aware of security operating in Twilight Town, but an army? They weren't made aware of anything like that.

"How the hell are we supposed to know about that?" Medea grilled impatiently.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the people we know would take care of problems are the security," Luna explained. "We haven't been in town long enough to know everything."

Intrigue crossed his face as he removed himself from the wall of the house. "Ahh… Newcomers, are you? No wonder you ask many questions."

For the girls, it's yet another instance of being caught red-handed. However, the way this man spoke his observations and the knowing look in his eyes told them he might've already known something they hadn't told him.

"I presume neither of you are residents in this town," he deduced, "perhaps from…somewhere far away?"

Luna went wide-eyed in shock. "What…? How…how did you know?"

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Medea demanded to know.

He grinned as he casually shrugged his shoulders. "A man of no consequence."

Then, he gave a little farewell wave as he walked away from them to parts unknown, leaving them alone to ponder what in Kingdom Hearts they just experienced.

"That guy was just so damn weird," Medea commented, her voice on edge. "Not to mention WAY too damn nosy."

"…Maybe we should have a talk with the security guards about that man," Luna seconded the observation. "Perhaps they might have an idea who he is, or keep watch for him."

"Yeah, I'm with ya on that. He doesn't look like someone of no consequence to me," her Guardian agreed warily.

* * *

After that bizarre encounter they had, the two ladies made their way back to more familiar parts of town. By the time they neared the sandlot, their attention is grabbed by multiple voices bouncing off one another followed by the sound of something eerily moving around. Worrying there might be trouble and thinking someone might need serious help, Luna and Medea quickly booked it to the sandlot to find a squad of Heartless surrounding Nyx and Circe alongside three young teens. They can tell both security guards are trying their hardest to fight off the pests with what they've got on hand, but it's clear the creatures won't go away that easily.

Not the type of people to ignore danger everyone else wouldn't fully understand, the girls hurried into the area to help. Medea leaped into the chaos head-on, her Claws already formed in place of her hands as she tore through a bulky Heartless like a cheap pillow before moving on. Luna, on the other hand, stretched out her hands, summoning several Shadow Hands at the flick of her wrists that emerged from nowhere and detained the lesser fodder. The disruption caught Nyx's attention first as he just briefly caught Medea charging right in and the Hands capturing the creatures surrounding them at the command of Luna. At the same time, Circe lowered her weapons for a brief moment, dumbfounded at what she realized was happening in front of her. Then, Luna herself arrived at the scene to join the fray, unaware of the surprise given to the security guards as they turned to her.

"What are you doing?" Circe asked sternly, "You know it's dangerous, right?"

"I know, but Medea and I have fought these things before," Luna confessed hastily. "Please, let us help."

"Now I have seen everything," Nyx deadpanned jokingly. "First these black animals, then people in black outfits randomly strolling in town, and now this."

"Just get the kids outta here!" Medea demanded, interrupting the debate. "Luna and I can get these pests outta this street!"

With the Heartless already struggling to break free of the Hands' grip, there's just no room for argument by this point. Acting fast, Nyx and Circe grabbed the three youths and hurried them away to someplace safer while Luna and Medea prepared to face the rest of the Heartless directly.

By the time the Heartless broke loose and started scurrying the new targets that arrived on the scene, Luna and Medea are already prepared for them. Almost immediately, Medea charged right in and pounced on every Heartless her claws can get ahold of, tearing through the larger groups like wet paper. On Luna's part, she summoned her Hands to clean the streets of the smaller rabble, mopping the floor with them like petty trash not disposed where they should've been. Of course, several more had to show up as soon as the majority of the Heartless had been beaten to a pulp. That's to be expected, given their past experience while with Sora.

Finally, all of the Heartless were wiped away from the sandlot. Though, they couldn't help but notice how harder it is to do so since neither of them have a Keyblade, let alone anyone who is in possession of one. This is an issue that needs addressing with the rest of their group later down the line.

"Ugh, about damn time we got 'em," Medea groaned in annoyance. "Those buggers wouldn't let up."

"Well, we are fighting fire with fire…" Luna sighed.

Now that the sandlot is cleared of the threat, the security guards returned to the area, looking around in surprise to find everything cleared out with no trace of the creatures left. The three young teens followed not too far behind them, feeling much better now that the danger has passed. That's when Luna got a better view of what these youngsters looked like.

One is a young boy with blond, slightly spiky hair, light skin and brown eyes. He is dressed in baggy camo capris pants and a short sleeveless grey shirt over a black muscle shirt decorated with a white, crudely drawn skull and crossbones. He also wore belted camo shoes on his feet, a white necklace with a yellow X charm on it around his neck, and a brown bracelet with silver pins on his left wrist.

The second is a young boy shorter and heavy-set with brown eyes, light skin, and black hair held up by a headband. He wore a white shirt underneath a red jersey with black and white lining, and the jersey is patterned with a black skeletal dog with three bones above it and the phrase 'Dog Street' printed in large white letters on the left side. He also wore blue pants, blue and white shoes with grey soles and a purple bandana around his neck.

The third is a girl with bright green eyes, light skin, and brown hair. She is dressed in an orange tank top with white floral patterns at the bottom, khaki-colored capris pants, and orange socks with white hems under cream shoes with black and yellow accents and black laces. She also wears a beaded sky blue bracelet on her right wrist and a black necklace decorated with a spherical sky blue charm.

The shorter boy looked around before commenting with wide eyes, "Whoa… They're all gone?"

"Holy crap! What just happened?" the blond boy exclaimed, "Seriously, what just happened there? Pence, Olette, did you see that?"

"Hayner, I think we all saw what happened," the girl, Olette, replied the obvious.

Then, a little beeping sound is heard within the sandlot, which is answered when Nyx is noticed to tap by his ear and a familiar voice is heard from where his finger is placed.

 _"_ _Hey, Nyx, had a little trouble out there?"_ Libertus inquired.

"Yeah, the black creatures wouldn't let up," Nyx answered. "Lucky for us, we got some unexpected help."

 _"…_ _Well, that's fine and dandy, but you'd better hope the captain can take that answer as well as I can,"_ his friend said with a warning.

Nyx let out a chuckle. "I don't think he's gonna reassign me over getting help from visitors or civilians."

Luna and Medea looked at each other, curious as to what they just heard. They've met the members of the town security when they first arrived, but they hadn't had the opportunity to learn more about how the security team actually worked. This might give them a chance to find out who is in charge of security.

A little tug on the coat sleeve caught Luna's attention as she turned to see the shorter boy next to her along with his buddies.

"Hi. I'm Pence. Thanks for the help," Pence greeted her in gratitude.

"Hello to you, too. My name is Luna. It's nice to meet you," Luna reciprocated politely. Then, she shifted the subject. "Are the three of you okay? How did you and your friends get caught by the Heartless?"

The blond boy, Hayner, tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? That's what those things are?"

"Well, whatever they were, it was pretty scary," Olette answered. "We tried to retreat to the usual spot as soon as they appeared, but they wouldn't let us leave the sandlot."

"That would explain why they were being a pain in the ass for the security guards," Medea commented.

Hayner immediately gave her a weird look. "Wait…did you just –"

The conversation is interrupted when a new face entered the sandlot, momentarily silencing the environment. Entering the scene is a middle-aged man with short brown hair and a slight beard, blue eyes, and scars on his otherwise light skin. He is dressed in a dark red leather jacket with black pants, black leather gloves and black leather boots. On his jacket, it's noticeable he wears proudly a few medals, probably from past feats of great service in the line of duty.

"Nyx, Circe, report," the man commanded sternly.

"The black animals – or rather, 'Heartless', as we've come to learn – gave us more trouble than we thought, Captain," Circe replied, thankfully adjusting identification on the enemies. "It would've been much worse for the civilians had help not arrived at the right time."

His brow rose in suspicion. "You called for backup?"

"Actually, the help came of their own volition," Nyx clarified, gesturing to Luna and Medea behind him. "It's these two we owe thanks to."

The man turned to Luna and Medea's direction. "And you two are?"

"Oh, um…my name is Luna," Luna introduced herself shyly, "And the lady accompanying me is my Guardian, Medea."

Despite the effort to not make a negative impression to the head of security, both women couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable when the captain approached them, inspecting the pair with an inquisitively piercing gaze they swear could pierce through their bodies and peer into their true natures. Maybe he's the type of man in charge that doesn't want to take chances of finding anything dangerous about them, or doesn't trust them for the moment?

"Neither of you are from around here, are you?" he interrogated them, "Where did you two come from?"

"A long ways off," Medea replied bluntly. "That's as far as I'm saying."

"They said they're refugees seeking shelter, Drautos," Nyx clarified. "From who and why, we don't know…yet. However, I promise they aren't a danger to the townspeople."

Drautos didn't seem too impressed in the slightest. "Don't go easy on them too soon, Nyx Ulric. Resident or refugee, security must properly document identification of anyone who comes through town."

Luna turned to Circe with a confused face while Medea gave a frustrated scowl toward the security captain. Since when did they have to give information to proper authorities? None of them were informed of such thing when they first arrived in town. In retrospect, they doubt the subject was ever brought up to Roxas and his friends, and they likely might've popped in and out of Twilight Town without being held up by security for their troubles. But as far as both women are concerned, they don't want to divulge too much about themselves at the risk of giving away their location to their enemy. Also, has DiZ ever considered the possibility someone might give them weird looks because of the fact they don't mingle with everybody? They don't think that'd likely happen.

Circe sighed in annoyance. "Okay, okay, we'll bring these ladies to the station and make arrangements with them, Captain. I can't promise they'd be willing to share everything about them, but we'll do what we can to ensure they understand their rights and what lines to not cross under any circumstances."

As frustrating as it is to have to comply with orders, it seemed to pacify the captain enough to depart from the sandlot to other parts of town. Of course, what didn't help matters is the fact that the three teens who witnessed the whole thing couldn't help cringing at the subject of conversation; probably because they have a quiet awareness something is not going to entirely go the captain's way, whatever it might be.

"Sheesh…what a stick in the mud," Hayner grumbled aloud. "I know he runs security and all, but he doesn't have to act like he's got a bug up his butt."

Luna turned to Pence. "Um…is that man always this harsh to people? He doesn't seem to trust anyone."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Drautos can be ridiculously strict, but he's not stupid to assume everyone's up to no good. Well, maybe he'd give Seifer a hard time because of his behavior. Just don't take everything he says too personally, and you'd be able to move along under his radar."

"Strict, my ass! He was totally judging us," Medea huffed irritably. "Did ya see how he was looking at us? I swear he's trying to find something nasty about us."

"Maybe he'll lighten up when you get the hang of things in town," Olette suggested, offering a little optimism.

"I hope so…" Luna reluctantly agreed.

Nyx sighed as he shook his head. "Well, there's not a lot we can do." He turned to the youths. "You three are free to continue on if you wish. Circe and I have to head back to the station and report back what happened here."

"Luna, Medea, would you two please come along with us?" Circe requested.

The Guardian let out an exasperated groan under her breath. "Alright, alright, let's just get this over with…"

"Maybe we can ask a few favors from them while we're at the station," Luna speculated.

At the request of Nyx, Hayner and his buddies made their departure, albeit reluctantly, from the sandlot while Luna and Medea are escorted along by security to the station under the captain's orders. For a moment, though, it's noticed at least Pence gave a small wave of 'good luck' before departing around the corner with the rest of the group. It may not be much, but the least it dis is it gave the girls some ease preparing for what they might have to deal with.

* * *

The Twilight Town security station, as far as the girls can see, is much simpler in model in contrast to the rest of the buildings in town. While some businesses have bright glowing signs attempting to attract customers or houses have tiny details to help individualize the lodgings of its residents, the station is colored a darker shade of red and brown on the outside, and the interior is a mix of tan and blue. There might be a lot of offices within the place as far as the girls are concerned, but they couldn't tell because the closest they were led is the entrance where a few offices are opened wide in invitation while others are closed tight, alerting anyone passing by there is private business being conducted. They can see a few people passing in and out of the halls, but most aren't recognizable as they seem completely oblivious to the new faces being lead inside the building.

Fortunately, the monotony is broken when Calypso turned up at the entrance just as Nyx and Circe have brought the girls in. She immediately gave a friendly smile when she recognized the familiar faces.

"Hey, guys! Everything went alright at the sandlot?" she asked casually.

Her sister gave a long, dismayed sigh. "The pests gave us a hard time, and the captain just had to lecture us about supervision over new arrivals after having just been helped out."

Calypso's smile dropped bit. "Oh, no…what criticism did Drautos bring up this time around?"

"The jackass snipped at us just because we helped your buddies out, and he wanted to have us written down for some dumb reason," Medea answered with a growl.

Nyx shrugged. "Yeah, the captain insisted any newcomers should be recorded."

"To be honest, I don't remember hearing we have to do this beforehand," Luna confessed, "Still; I don't feel comfortable talking about us here and now…"

"I'm with my master on this one. I'm not keen on spilling any beans to just anyone, not a single detail to save our asses," Medea agreed stubbornly.

Well, this provided an interesting dilemma. The security team's captain wants to have information on the latest batch of visitors making a temporary stay in Twilight Town, and it's not hard to understand why given the things that have been going on in town. At the same time, however, it's a serious invasion of privacy to pry deeply into the affairs of people security hardly knows from the beginning. Besides, what are the chances said visitors are escaping from something or someone too dangerous for even them to handle?

Then, an idea crossed Calypso's mind. "Did the captain say the documentation needed to be done today?"

Luna and Medea looked at each other and back. "We don't think so."

"Well, then, there's our answer. We can make documentations, but we just have to arrange an appointment beforehand," she explained, "After all, depending on what other parties are involved, we'll want to be verifying connections before we confirm temporary citizenship."

"So what can we do until then?" the Guardian inquired.

"Well, if nothing else for now, you can rely on us for information or accommodations you need," Calypso replied. "Ask us anything you need to know, and we'll answer as best we can."

Now that's something they can come to an agreement with. Since they don't know any place where they can acquire information, it wouldn't hurt to seek out security for information on the town if it's more convenient for them.  
In fact, Luna knew just where to start. "Well…in that case, I'd like to ask a question: do you know anyone who wears a black fedora?"

That caught Nyx's attention very fast. "Anyone with a black fedora? That's a bit concerning. Where did this happen?"

"While Medea and I were exploring town, we encountered a man near a blocked gate," Luna explained. "We spoke with him only briefly, though, and he called himself a man of no consequence."

"What did he look like?" Circe asked.

"Reddish hair, amber eyes, black and grey clothes with bits of white, and a hell of a lot taller than even I am," Medea summed it up. "Do I even need to mention how nosy he was? I tell ya, he somehow knew we're newcomers from the get-go, and we didn't even tell him who we are whatsoever!"

"Is he someone familiar to you?" Luna inquired.

Calypso shook her head, her face already showing unease. "No, I don't think we know this man. The way you both described him and how your encounter with him went down, however, is a concerning matter. We'll have to investigate whether anyone else saw him before we post any warnings."

Alright, that's one situation addressed, so they'll just have to wait to know the results. Now what else could they ask from security while they're here?

Thinking back in the early stage of settling in the mansion, when Luna and Medea were asked to investigate a world for any sign of trouble by Riku (in which it was an order from DiZ passed to him to relay on available allies), a hurdle that wasn't handled too well is regarding how to communicate their findings or whether they need to discuss anything of importance. In the girls' defense, they were just starting cleanup and they haven't been able to acquire reliable resources for them to use in order to improve communication and maintain some level of anonymity among the townspeople. They have the help of Roxas, Axel and Xion regarding averting the Organization's attention, so they only need to arrange additional help they can get while they're in the town itself. Granted, someone within the town will start asking questions about them, but if they can keep identification on them as minimal as possible, it would help continue to delay the Organization's hunt on them. Because of this, it would be a good idea to acquire the means to communicate to each other no matter where they are.

An idea crossed Luna's mind. "Could I ask another question?"

"No problem. Ask away," Nyx said with enthusiasm, happy to have something else to focus on.

"Do you have anything my companions and I can use to keep in touch with each other?" she asked, "My Guardian and I went somewhere else for a while, but we didn't have a way to talk to the others at the time. I mean…it's something we should've thought about earlier. Besides, if we have a problem, I don't know how we'd be able to call for help if we need it."

She didn't know how much the security officers understood with what information she gave, but the instant she mentioned her concerns about being able to call for help, Circe immediately marched her way into one of the nearest offices and came back with a package box the size of a hardcover book and a skinny book the length of a novella. Inside the box is a set of earpieces attached to small microphones that can be worn around the ears, much like the ones seen on Nyx and Circe's person after the Heartless situation.

"I don't know how tech-savvy you guys are, but I hope these would help," Circe said as hand over the goods. "They're a slightly older set, but they should still be functional so long as you handle them with care."

"That stuff what you use to talk with each other?" Medea questioned.

"Yep. It's part of security policy to keep these on our person at all times should security have an emergency," Nyx replied.

"Oh…are you sure you want us to take them?" Luna asked them, feeling a bit guilty for taking security property. "I don't want you all to get in trouble for this."

"Like my sister said, they're an older piece of equipment. Don't worry about it," Calypso said, waving it off. Then, she leaned in to whisper, "Besides, I'm sure the captain won't mind us donating the set for a good cause."

Well, that explains why they're insistent on permitting the girls to take the earpieces without charging them. If anything, it has to be done partly out of genuine generosity to new neighbors and partly because they wanted to do something a little rebellious without causing too much trouble to their workplace. Oh, well. What can they do? Anyway, after chatting a little longer with the security members, Luna and Medea had to continue on their way through town and return to their own business for a while. Though they didn't disclose where exactly they're living, the girls are thankful nobody is being nosy as to their affairs so far.

* * *

By the time Luna and Medea have returned to the Old Mansion, they're greeted by Nero carrying two large cans of white paint down the stairs, both of them already emptied after having been used up for another part of the renovating projects for the mansion rooms. When they entered the main entrance, he stopped at the bottom and shifted his attention to them.

"Back already? Did you find anything new in town?" he inquired.

"Well…there is more to Twilight Town than we initially thought there is," Luna replied, "I think we might be able to meet more people soon. Though, we did have a few…interesting encounters while we looked around."

"Seriously, you should've seen the new faces we met today," Medea emphasized. "First, there's a creepy guy in funky clothes who we know jack about and yet he figured out we aren't from around here like it's already obvious. Then, after we helped those security guys get rid of the Heartless scaring some kids, we met their boss who was very damn judgmental about us even though we hadn't done anything to peeve him off."

Nero raised a brow, intrigued at the news. "Well, that's new. I guess we'll have plenty to look forward to during our stay."

"You don't sound surprised at all," the Guardian deadpanned.

"Well, Twilight Town is different from places both of you would be more familiar with," Nero reminded them. "You'll get used to it. We just need to watch ourselves with the Organization wandering around. But then again, I don't have to tell you two twice."

True, they didn't have to be reminded about their enemies and exercising caution, considering what they experienced before and what they heard from DiZ. However, it doesn't mean they have to stay on edge 24/7 since Axel and friends made potential friendships between them very promising. Granted, regarding that situation, they'll have to make sure to keep this union under the nose of DiZ since he probably wouldn't take the matter too kindly. Oh, well, it's not like he needs to be in the know about everyone's personal affairs if he's focused elsewhere by the time they've assembled their base of operations.

"So, is everything ready, Nero?" Luna asked, changing the subject. "I know you've been pretty busy the past few weeks repairing everything in the mansion."

Nero sighed deeply. "It took a lot of work to fix the machinery and restore parts of the mansion for reliability, but at least the place will be hospitable for us while we're here."

"Great. I'd be happy to have plenty of downtime in the mansion – assuming the old man doesn't throw me in the middle of a swarm of Heartless," Medea said sarcastically.

"Still, hiding in a mansion is better than being in the middle of the town streets," Luna said with optimism. "And with the townspeople being friendly for the most part, I think it would make blending in a little easier for us for a good while. I don't think the people Axel and his friends are involved would think of searching here…at least, I don't think so."

"Yeah, true. I guess all we have to do is figure out who's using which rooms," Nero agreed.


End file.
